Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers

Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers are the ultimate late-winter comfort food!  Green bell peppers are stuffed with ground beef and farro then topped with a lively tomato sauce for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal!

I’m so excited that we’re about to spring forward!  Even though it takes a little time to adjust, I’m ready no matter what and am so happy to not have to drive home in the dark for a while!  Before winter ends, I always have to make classic stuffed peppers at least once.

In the spirit of moving forward, how about an update to the classic stuffed pepper?  How about Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers?

History of stuffed peppers:

Stuffed peppers appeared in cookbooks as far back as the 1890’s.  Your grandmother or mother probably made them and many different cuisines around the world have a version of the stuffed pepper.

What is farro?

Although farro is an ancient grain, it’s worth knowing about and enjoying today!

It’s an ancient grain with a nutty flavor that’s very good for you.  It has a satisfying chew similar to barley and it even looks like barley.  Farro has been cultivated in Italy for centuries.  It’s related to wheat so it’s not gluten-free.

You’ll generally find two types of farro:  Whole-grain and pearled.  Whole-grain farro can be tricky to cook and involves having to soak it overnight.  However, pearled farro, which has some of the bran removed, is very easy to cook.  Here’s more information on farro and how to cook it from Bob’s Red Mill.

Farro is an excellent source of dietary fiber, iron and protein.  Farro is derived from wheat so it’s not gluten-free.

How to make Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers:

• Start with big, blocky fresh green bell peppers.
• Cook the farro in salted, boiling water on the stovetop or with the help of an electric pressure cooker such as an Instant Pot.

• Cut the tops off the peppers and if necessary, shave a little off the base of the pepper so the pepper stands upright.
• Place on a baking sheet upside down and bake for 15 minutes or so.  This is going to soften the peppers every so slightly but will also start to extract some of the water from the bell peppers.  There’s a lot of water in bell peppers so it’s a good idea to lightly roast them to get some of the water out.

• Make the chunky tomato sauce with onions, celery and the chopped tops from the bell peppers.

• Spread some of the sauce over the bottom of a prepared baking dish.
• Combine some of the sauce with the beef and farro stuffing combination.

• Top with the rest of the sauce, cover and bake!

• The Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers are done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the peppers registers 165 degrees.
• Top with more cheese and place back in the oven just until the cheese melts.

Mwwaaaahhhhh!  Make these hearty Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers!

For more amazing stuffed peppers, be sure to try my:

• Chorizo and Brown Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers
• Southwestern Beef and Barley Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Quinoa, Corn and Black Bean Stuffed Poblano Peppers

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Yield: 4

Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers

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Italian Beef and Farro Stuffed Peppers are the ultimate late-winter comfort food!  Green bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and farro topped with a lively tomato sauce make for a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meal!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro
• Salt
• 4 large green bell peppers
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus more for baking dish
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 can (15-ounce) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
• 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup beef, chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large, deep baking dish.
2. Cook farro in salted boiling water until tender but still al dente. (This can take 30 minutes or so. Alternately, place farro and 3 cups water in an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker and cook on high 10 minutes.) Drain excess water and set aside.
3. While the farro is cooking, remove the tops from the green bell peppers and carefully hollow them out. If necessary, shave a little off the bottom so they stand level. Reserve the tops of the peppers, pull out the stem and coarsely chop the remainder.
4. Rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then place upside down on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.
5. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and chopped green bell pepper tops. Reduce heat to medium and cook, adjusting heat as necessary until vegetables are tender.
6. Add the garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes to get flavors to meld. Let cool slightly.
7. Transfer 1 cup of the sauce to a bowl. Add beef, egg, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup of the Mozzarella, salt, black pepper and cooked farro. Stir to combine.
8. Spread 1 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the dish.
9. Fill each pepper with equal amounts of the beef-farro combination and place upright in baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over each pepper.
10. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into each pepper registers 165 degrees.
11. Top with remaining cheese and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted.
12. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: Prepare to the point of baking and refrigerate no longer than 24 hours. (Make sure ground beef is extremely fresh!)

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 861Total Fat: 47gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 231mgSodium: 2175mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 8gSugar: 14gProtein: 68g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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