Better Stuffed Peppers - Regular and Vegan

Stuffed Peppers are one of those items you either love or love to hate.  With making a few simple changes, you can have a very flavorful stuffed pepper.  To make the peppers you will need:
1 package of Turkey Sausage (hot or sweet) for vegan 1 package of Gimme Lean Sausage

2 cups cooked Basmati rice

6 green bell peppers

1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs                  

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion minced

Salt and pepper to taste (or Nature's Seasoning)

Dash of hot sauce

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce (recipe below) or bottled

1.) Cook the rice according to package directions, and allow to cool slightly.

2.)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

3.)  Prepare the peppers.  Cut the peppers in half and remove all seed and veins.

4.)  Slit open the sausages, remove the skins and put the sausage in a large bowl.  Add in the rice, the bread crumbs, the garlic, the onion, salt and pepper, hot sauce and Italian seasoning.  Stir until everything is well blended.

5.)  Stuff the peppers. 

6.)  Pour the sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Place the stuffed peppers on top of the sauce.  Spoon some of the sauce over the top of the peppers.

7.)  Cover with foil and bake for an hour and a half.  Then enjoy!

Tomato Basil Sauce

8 tomatoes

Bunch of basil

5 cloves of garlic

Salt and Pepper (or Nature's Seasoning)

Sugar, Agave, honey or Truvia to taste.

1.  Put everything in your blender and pulse to liquefy.

2.) Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and place on a medium

high burner.  Simmer until the sauce reduces by half.  About a half an hour.  It's ready to use