Sweet Dixie Stuffed Peppers
Listen, comfort food is one of those things that varies from person to person. Maybe it was a special dish your mama only made once in a while, or something your grandma would fix when you came to visit, but regardless of what food it is, it always makes you feel warm and cozy.
Of course, we’re in the business of making comfort food, but if we served all our favorite dishes at The Joint, our menu would be a mile long. One of our favorite things to make at home is stuffed bell peppers. They’re easy to prepare, everyone likes 'em, and they’re guaranteed to fill you up. Best of all, we came up with a recipe that uses our famous, original Sweet Dixie Bar-B-Que sauce to pump up the flavor and save you the trouble of having to use a bunch of other stuff in there, too.
One quick tip if you’re planning to make these: pick out peppers that are all about the same size, so they cook at the same pace. Also try to find fatter, wider peppers versus long, pointy ones so they'll stand up on their own without falling over. Otherwise, use whatever pepper you like; the color and the heat are up to you.
INGREDIENTS
6-8 bell peppers
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 T butter
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced carrot
2 T minced garlic
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
3 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 Jar Martin’s Bar-B-Que Sweet Dixie Sauce
1 ½ cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 - 15oz cans tomato sauce
Preheat oven to 375.
Bring water to a boil. Add rice and cook, according to package directions, until the water is absorbed and rice is tender.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and carrots. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Add ground beef and cook until meat is browned. Stir in half a jar of Sweet Dixie Bar-B-Que Sauce and one can tomato sauce to beef mixture. Season with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, or to taste. Transfer beef mixture to a large mixing bowl, and stir in 1 cup cheddar cheese and cooked rice. Cut the tops off of the peppers, just below the stem, and scoop out the seeds. Fill the peppers with the beef and rice mix. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese on top of peppers.
In a separate bowl, combine the remainder of the Sweet Dixie Sauce with the other can of tomato sauce, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Pour this sauce mix into a 9x13 baking dish or large cast-iron skillet. Place filled peppers on top of the sauce. Cover dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbly. Serve immediately.
