I remember the first time I made stuffed peppers for my husband. We were only married a few months and at the time I could only cook a few different meals. That night I decided to be creative and make him stuffed peppers. I had no idea what I was doing so I just winged it. I thought I would stuff them with ground beef and rice and maybe add a tomato sauce of some kind. I spent hours preparing and cooking and the house smelled wonderful when he walked in. I set the table and lit candles because I really thought this was going to impress him. I watched him take the first bite, expecting his praise. Instead, he walked to the sink and spit it out. I didn’t realize that you were supposed to cook the rice first!

Thankfully, my cooking skills have come a long way. Here is my recipe, altered and perfected over the past 32 years of marriage.

Ingredients:
6 bell peppers – any color
2 cups COOKED rice
1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 diced jalapeno – seeds optional
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 (14.5oz.) can diced tomatoes – juice included
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lime juice
16oz. smoked sausage, cut in coins and then again in quarters

Directions:
 Cut tops off peppers and scoop out seeds. Rinse inside of peppers and drain on paper towels.
 Cook rice per directions and set aside. Brown sausage in pan and drain any fat.

Mix rice, sausage and all other ingredients in a large bowl.

Stuff mixture into peppers, packing it down with spoon.

Place stuffed peppers upright in 9 x 13 pan. Pour ¾ cup of water in the bottom of the pan and vent pan with foil. Cook 40 to 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

This went great with corn bread and a frosty glass of beer. We ate the leftovers the next night as a side to accompany pork chops on the grill.