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While shopping at Whole Foods, I stopped at the meat counter and spotted stuffed peppers. I have not made this dish in a long time and forgot how easy it is to prepare. I also saw eggplants stuffed with feta and pine nuts. You could easily build a meal around this vegetarian dish.
Last week, my husband Edward told me he’s been hungry for Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups. I’ve been making them for at least 20 years and find they are delicious topped with tomato or Alfredo sauce.
Every nation in the world makes foods that are rolled or stuffed. I always associate these recipes with cold days. Stuffed cabbage is one treat for wintertime. The ground beef mixture I use for stuffed peppers also can be used in stuffed cabbage.
My pantry always contains large cans of diced and crushed tomatoes and top-quality jarred pasta and Alfredo sauces. I like Classico because their sauces contain no sugar or corn syrup.
All of these dishes freeze beautifully, so prepare ahead and keep a stash for that unexpected snowstorm.
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
4 bell peppers of your choice
1 pound ground beef
1 egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sprinkling of onion flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh Italian parsley, snipped with a scissors
1 (22-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or 1 (22-ounce) jar of tomato sauce
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Wash the peppers and cut off the tops about a quarter of the way down. Reserve the tops from the peppers. Remove the seeds and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients except the crushed tomatoes or sauce. Blend well.
Place the peppers in a round or square CorningWare or Pyrex dish. Stand the peppers up, propping them against each other.
Divide the beef mixture evenly into four portions and roll each into a ball. Fill each pepper with a portion of the mixture. Top with about three-quarters of the sauce, place the lids on the peppers and top with the remaining sauce.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Serves four.
Note from Phyllis: I like to use red, yellow or orange peppers for this dish. Some people like a blend of ground beef and pork when making stuffed vegetables. My Greek friends sometimes use ground lamb.
The directions for stuffed cabbage are the same. I buy a head of Savoy cabbage and carefully remove the leaves. Since this variety is more tender than plain cabbage, there is no need to boil the leaves. Place a heaping spoonful of the ground beef mixture into the center of each leaf and roll up to form a package. This recipe yields about a dozen cabbage rolls.
Eggplant Stuffed with Feta Cheese
Ingredients:
2 medium-size eggplants, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 pound imported feta
1/4 pound pine nuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the eggplants in a square or round CorningWare or Pyrex baking dish. Top with salt and pepper.
Crumble the feta into a bowl. Add the pine nuts and blend well.
Divide the mixture into four equal portions. Put the mixture on top of the eggplant.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
Serves four.
Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
1 (1-pound package) lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions
1-1/2 pounds ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted with water squeezed out
1 pound shredded mozzarella
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sprinkling of nutmeg
1 (22-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or 1 (22-ounce) jar of tomato or Alfredo sauce
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients, except the crushed tomatoes or sauce.
Place two paper towel sheets on a work surface. Lay a noodle on the towels and pat dry. Place two heaping tablespoonfuls of the ricotta mixture about 2 inches from the bottom of the noodle. Roll up like a jellyroll. Repeat until all are filled.
Pour a little sauce in the bottom of a lasagna pan. Place each roll-up in the pan. There may be more than eight roll-ups, so another pan may be needed. Top each roll-up with sauce and extra Parmesan.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Serves four to six.
Note from Phyllis: Sometimes I serve one roll-up per person as an appetizer and follow up with a roast chicken for a meal. Two roll-ups are ample if served as a main course. All you need is a tossed green salad and a loaf of crusty French or Italian bread to round out the meal.
