Stuffed Pepper Meatloaf
Stuffed Pepper Meatloaf - all the makings of a stuffed pepper wrapped up in a moist and tender meatloaf. Filled with rice, spices and then topped off with green peppers and a tomato glaze. Stuffed peppers made easy and delicious!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Meatloaf Mixture
- 2 pounds ground round beef
- 1 cup instant rice
- ½ medium onion grated
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ fresh minced garlic
- 2 beef bouillon cubes granulated
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Topping
- 1 large green bell pepper sliced (any color bell pepper works)
- 1 - 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ tsp fresh minced garlic
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a medium bowl mix topping ingredients (except for green peppers) - crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and salt.
- In a large bowl combine meatloaf mixture ingredients - ground beef, instant rice, grated onion, egg, garlic, bullion and black pepper. I find using your hands is easiest way to combine.
- In a casserole dish, dutch oven, loaf pan or sheet pan - form a loaf.
- Top the meatloaf with sliced green peppers and pour tomato mixture over the peppers. (alternately, if you prefer you can mix the peppers in with tomato mixture and spoon over the top you can)
- Cover with foil or over safe lid and cook for 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook remainder of time (30 to 45 minutes) or until done. An instant read thermometer should read 155° to 160° when done. I check to 1 hour mark with thermometer as shape of meatloaf and oven times vary.
- Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
✱ Nikki's Tips
- A tastier, juicier meatloaf - The secret to making a meatloaf taste great is using good quality, fresh beef. I like a ground round or a 15% fat content. It's still leaner than regular ground beef, but this lends to tons of flavor.
- Make sure to use Instant Rice. If you use a regular rice it won't cook enough. If you just don't have it at home, in a pinch use pre-cook rice. Just cook it to al dente.
- Make sure to not over-mix. Overmixing can make it tough. You want to mix it until everything is nice and combined so that it will hold its shape and stay together.
- A few cracks are ok! Flavor leaks down into them! That's a good thing!
- Bouillon powder - replace salt with bouillon powder for even more flavor! You can use beef, chicken, or vegetable. If you don't have it the salt substitution is 1 tsp salt (or to taste).
- Grating your onion - This is something I started doing honestly to trick my kids when they were younger. I also found it makes the meatloaf more tender. It adds the flavor without the chunks of onion showing up too!
- If you want the topping more caramelized, you can place it under the broiler a couple of minutes after cooking. Just keep an eye on it!
- Rest before cutting. Let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to distribute. Makes for a more delicious meatloaf.
Nutrition
Serving: 11 serving | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 475mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
Find it online:
www.soulfullymade.com/stuffed-pepper-meatloaf-recipe/