Stuffed Pepper Casserole - A Meal the Whole Family Can Enjoy

These days, we have been trying to make meals that our almost-1-year-old-son Grant can eat with us.  We decided to join a farm share this year at a local organic farm in Granby, Ma.  With a recent abundance in peppers in our fridge and an idea from my cousin-in-law Kim, we turned traditional stuffed peppers into a casserole.  We put Grant's portion in the blender for a few seconds to chop up the pepper and turkey.  Not only did he like it for dinner, but it made enough to go to work with us for lunch and send with him to daycare.

4 green or red bell peppers
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
5 Tbs olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cup of cooked rice
1 lb of ground turkey
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce & a dash of hot sauce
1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp of dried oregano 

           1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, cut top off peppers 1 inch from the stem end, and remove seeds. Add a pinch of salt to boiling water, then add peppers and boil, using a spoon to keep peppers completely submerged, until brilliant green (or red if red peppers) and their flesh slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool.  Once cooled, slice into strips.

Preheat oven to 350 ̊F. Heat 4 Tbs of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add meat, rice, tomatoes, and oregano, and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle remaining 1 Tbs of olive oil into mix. Pour mixture into 9x13 baking pan. Combine ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl, then spoon over top of dish.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven after 25 minutes, top with cheese and return to oven.