Farro Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 cup of uncooked farro or spelt berries
• 2.5 cups of chicken broth
• 3 green peppers, cut in half with seeds and gills removed
• 8 ounces of ground sweet Italian pork sausage
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 12 ounces of plain tomato sauce-no sugar added!
• 6 ounces of water
• 1 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided

Adapted from Epicureanbliss

Inspired by Sauce Restaurant 

Directions

1. Cook farro by combining the 1 cup of uncooked farro with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 50 minutes or until farro is tender, but retains its chew.
2. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers and rinse well. Fill a large pot with an inch or so of water and top with a steamer. Bring water to a simmer, add peppers and cover. Steam for about 10 minutes or until tender-crisp. Alternatively, you can boil water and cook peppers in boiling water for 10 minutes.
3. Place the olive oil, sausage and onions in a large skillet. Cook over medium high heat until the onions are tender and the sausage is brown. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the tomato sauce, water, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, and basil; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes
4. Once the sausage mixture has simmered for 10 minutes or reduced to a sauce consistency, add the cooked farro, half of the shredded mozzarella cheese, and half of the parmesan. Stir well until the cheese has melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sausage-farro mixture into the steamed peppers.
5. Top each pepper with a bit of the remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Place in the oven and broil until the top of each pepper is bubbling and golden, about 5 to 7 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mary-Beth says: “These stuffed peppers are so amazingly delicious…moist, flavorful, hearty. I have replaced the sausage with ground turkey occasionally with great results. The recipe is a bit time consuming but worth it. Also, you may consider making additional “stuffing” and using it on its own as a side to your salad.”