Old fashioned stuffed bell peppers like mom used to make! Tender peppers stuffed with a seasoned beef and rice mixture and steamed in the oven with V-8 juice for even more flavor. This is real comfort food!
0 Preheat oven to 350F
1 Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the onion and jalapeno (if using)
2 Drain well, blotting away excess fat
3 Add cooked rice, beef mixture, tomatoes, basil if using, salt and pepper to a bowl
4 If you want the filling to be more compact you can add a beaten egg to the rice mixture before stuffing peppers
5 Mix well
6 You can stuff the peppers one of two ways, either cut them in half vertically and stuff each half or just cut the tops off and stuff the whole thing upright.
7 Fill the cavity of the peppers with the rice mixture, don't pack it too tight
8 Place the peppers upright in a baking pan, for halves place them with the filling mounded upwards
9 Pour 1/2 cup V-8 juice around the peppers - it should come just a little way up the sides but not cover the halves
10 Cover pan with foil
11 Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes
12 Let cool slightly before serving
For Crockpot
15 Use the whole peppers stuffed. Place in the crockpot upright and pour 1/4 cup of V-8 in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.
For Top of the Stove
18 Use the halves. Place filled pepper halves in a large pan and add V-8 to cover the bottom of the pan by an inch. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until done, adding more juice as needed.
