Greek Style Stuffed Peppers

I really like stuffed bell peppers, and this was a different twist on an old favorite. I would definitely add more salt next time and maybe some tomato sauce to the mixture before stuffing the peppers, but I will type it up how Nigella put it in her cookbook -- Foods you Crave




Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/greek-style-stuffed-peppers

Ingredients:
1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef (90%lean or higher)
One 10oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 small onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup bulgur
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (I would probably use 2 teaspoons next time)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, core and ribs removed
Two 14.5 oz. cans no-salt added tomatoes finely chopped and juice reserved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Since I only made 1 bell pepper cut in 1/2 for Jud and me, I didn't need but 1/2  can of tomatoes and not nearly that much feta cheese.  I saved the rest of the stuffing for another night later in the week.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, spinach, zucchini, onion, bulgur, egg, oregano, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Arrange the pepper halves cut side up in a 9" X 13" baking dish and fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Pour the tomatoes with their juices over the peppers and sprinkle with the feta cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
Uncover and bake the peppers until the filling is completely cooked and the peppers are tender, about 45 additional minutes.
I put my peppers in a pot of boiling water for 5-7 minutes to soften them because that is the way my mother always did it.  Later this week, I will try it w/o putting them in the boiling water.