Recipe - Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers

It can be pretty difficult on a daily basis to feed your family (or yourself) the recommended daily four to five servings of vegetables.  I guess that's one of the reasons I love having a garden in the summer.  After all, who can pass up fresh corn, beans, tomatoes, and squash?  But the rest of the year, planning vegetable-centered meals takes a bit more imagination--and relatively frequent trips to the grocery store.  The other day my sister, Stacey, called to tell me about a new dish she had made her family the night before, Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Green Peppers.  A variation of the popular sandwich creation originating in Philadelphia, it includes all the usual ingredients (beef, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, provolone cheese) but without the bread.  These low-carb mounds of goodness are packed with so many veggies you'll come pretty close to your daily allotment in one meal!  Deli roast beef speeds up preparation on a busy week night, and a layer of melty cheese may entice younger members of the family to dig in.  Hope you like it as much as we did!  (Note: Red and Green Bell Peppers are $.89 each at Maceys this week.)

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Here's what you need to get started . . .

4 large green bell peppers, cut in half and cleaned out

1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 pound sliced deli roast beef, cut into small strips
1 large white onion sliced
2/3 cup peperoncini, chopped  
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced
4 large minced garlic cloves
2 Tbsp butter
1 or 2 Tbsp olive oil
8 to 12 slices provolone cheese
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 to 1 tsp dried oregano leaves or Italian seasoning   
1 to 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Wash and cut up your veggies.  Clean the seeds and membranes out of the red pepper and dice.

Cut the onion into thin rings . . .

. . . and clean and slice the mushrooms.

Drain and chop up your peperoncini and mince your garlic.

Now take out your sliced deli roast beef and cut into small strips.  I had them slice mine quite thick, as you can see.  So maybe around 5 or 6 slices per pound.

This stuff isn't cheap.  I got mine on sale for $7.99/lb (regularly $9.99/lb).  I almost grabbed a roast to take home and put in the oven instead, because it's tough for me to justify a price like this, but I just kept reminding myself that sometimes the convenience is worth it.  However, time permitting, you'll get way more for your money preparing your own roast beef.

Next on the agenda, get your green peppers ready.  You can do this one of two ways.  Either leave them entirely raw to stuff if you don't mind a bit of crispiness (since they won't entirely cook in the oven), or blanch them two or three minutes in boiling water, which is what I did.

Throw half of them in the rapidly boiling water at a time.  Set the timer and don't leave them in for more than 3 minutes (don't wait for the water to boil again before you start timing).

Another great use for Piggy!  The minute you pull them out, run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. 

Lay them on a paper towel to drain.

Now you're ready to start sauteing the vegetables.  Add butter and oil to your skillet.

Start with the onions.

Add the red peppers and cook a few minutes . . .

. . . then add the peperoncini, garlic, and mushrooms.  Season well with salt and pepper, and add the red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning (or oregano leaves).

Don't forget the Worcestershire!  Add an extra Tbsp if you wish--as well as extra red pepper flakes if you enjoy extra heat.

Finally, toss in your beef pieces and saute another minute or two.

Now it's time to assemble them.  Lay the peppers out in a casserole dish.  Salt the insides lightly.

Cut your provolone cheese slices in half.  I used 1 1/2 slices per pepper, but you could get by with 1.

Lay a half slice in the bottom of each pepper.

Distribute filling evenly among your pepper halves.  If it doesn't all fit, just save it to make hot Philly sandwiches another day.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven  for 20 minutes.  After that time, remove from oven and turn it to 400.  Take off foil and put another slice of cheese (or two) on top. 

When oven is up to 400, put the casserole back in (without the foil) and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or just until the cheese is slightly browned.  Don't overdo it. 

This is enough for 4 to 8 people, depending on who is eating them and what else you are serving.  We each ate one half pepper with broasted potatoes and garlic bread (so much for the low-carb effect!) and  then finished them up the next night.