A new stuffed pepper

It’s safe to say most of us envision a green bell pepper, filled with a ground beef-onion-and-rice mixture, topped with a flat red sauce when we hear “stuffed peppers.” I’m here to share that there is another way to achieve this goal and it will likely result in happier bellies.

I personally was impressed by this rendition of the classic dish because it involved the brighter, more refreshing orange, yellow or red bell pepper varieties and because the filling included chopped fennel for a modern flair, and was topped with cheese — a natural win.

Lidey Heuk’s Stuffed Peppers via NYT Cooking

What I did/will do differently:

• While the recipe calls for ground beef only, I chose do 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound spicy sausage. I personally loved this combo for some extra heat, flavor and fat. You could easily do whatever ground meat, meat substitute or combo you prefer.

• Next time, I think it would be interesting to try orzo or a short grain rice instead of long grain. This flavor profile leans Italian so I think this would fit better.

• Also, while there are diced tomatoes in the filling, I felt like sauce on top or after the bake would enhance things.

• I served with a simple green salad, leaning once again on Ina Garten’s Basic Vinaigrette.