by Jacqueline Lohr

My grandma and my mom came from an Italian family, and a favorite family recipe that we all made together was stuffed peppers. (“Not too large, not too small, just right,” as Grandma might say.) When I had a daughter of my own, I introduced her to stuffed peppers, and she loves them too. We each have our own variations. It’s a great recipe to bring the family together.

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Jacqueline Lohr can be found on Instagram (https://instagram.com/ jaxyyy01?igshid=ZDU1ZDhlY2E=).

INGREDIENTS:

Stuffed Peppers with Marinara Sauce

2 T. olive oil 1 small onion, chopped fine 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 lb. chopped beef ½ t. dried oregano ½ t. dried mustard salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 c. tomato sauce 2 to 4 large green peppers 1 c. water INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent. Add beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add seasonings, mix and taste. (Remember, green peppers are a bit bland, so season meat well.) Add tomato sauce and mix. In the meantime, cut off top of peppers and remove ribs and seeds. (If you are using small peppers, remove stem and cut horizontally.) Place peppers skin (or bottom) side down in one layer in a baking dish. Fill with beef mixture. Add 1 c. water to pan, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking until peppers can be pierced with a fork. Serve with tomato sauce.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE: 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 sweet onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 28-oz. can good-quality whole or diced tomatoes salt and pepper, to taste