Tag Archives: meal in minutes

Put the pilaf in some peppers

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It was always this time of year, when fresh green peppers were being picked from a garden at a small farm near our home in a suburb of St. Paul, that my mom would make Hungarian stuffed peppers. They were a family favorite. I still look forward to the first big pot of stuffed peppers I make each summer. They are packed tight with uncooked rice, ground beef and ground pork and paprika and simmer in a large pot of tomato juice. And served with a very generous mound of mashed potatoes. I posted that recipe a couple of years ago. You can get right to that recipe by clicking here.

The stuffed peppers I made this week were far from those Hungarian-style peppers. I used leftover Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf (recipe in my column this week), filled with fresh, local vegetables to stuff the first peppers of the season that I bought at my local  farmers market. I mixed some chopped tomato and some rinsed and drained chickpeas to make the peppers a meal.

The photo above shows the stuffed peppers ready to hit the oven. Some folks may like to blanch the pepper halves before stuffing so that they become very soft during the baking time. I prefer more texture. When the peppers are baked without being blanched they are crisp-tender.

I had a chunk of tomato basil goat cheese in the refrigerator that I was trying for the first time, a purchase from a new farmer at the market this year. Her family raises the goats on their farm near Motley and Eichten’s in Center City, famous for their gouda cheese, make the cheese for them using the milk from their goats. The farmer said she uses the goat cheese on grilled sandwiches, so I knew it must be a good melting cheese. I grated some up and sprinkled it over the peppers during the last minutes of baking.

These peppers make a satisfying meal. And, when you’re using leftover Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf, the meal takes only minutes to make. They’re not my mom’s Hungarian stuffed peppers, yet they are surprisingly delicious.

Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf Stuffed Peppers

I had about 2 cups of leftover Pilaf. It was enough to stuff 4 pepper halves.

  • 2 cups Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf
  • 1 large fresh tomato, chopped
  • Chickpeas, rinsed and drained, as many as you desire to add to the stuffing
  • 2 medium green peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth or beef broth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix Pilaf, tomato and chickpeas together in a bowl. Generously stuff each of the four pepper halves with the mixture. Arrange in a baking dish. Pour just enough broth into the baking dish to cover the bottom, about 1/4 inch deep. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on each stuffed pepper. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve immediately.

Mimi’s (Bragday) Monday: Emily makes mac ‘n’ cheese pizza

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Just look at Emily’s big smile. My oldest grandchild has a good reason to be so happy. She just made Mac ‘n’ Cheese Pizza for supper.

Nine-year-old Emily truly enjoys being in the kitchen. Since she was a preschooler, she’s been in the kitchen with adults experiencing a nice sense of accomplishment as she creates delicious food and learns essential kitchen skills.

I was Emily’s assistant in her kitchen one day last week as she prepared the main dish for supper for her family. Just like so many people these days, Emily is a busy person. She’d been working hard at school all day. After school she had her piano lesson. By the time she got into the kitchen to make supper, she was getting hungry. It was a good thing that we already had the recipe and Emily’s mom had done the grocery shopping, saving Emily a lot of time. Her mom was already busy preparing a colorful Greek salad and a Ceasar salad to be served with the pizza.

As the elbow macaroni was boiling on the stove, Emily got the rest of the ingredients measured and ready to go.

Then she prepared the pizza pan by brushing it with olive oil.

Once the macaroni was cooked and drained, the noodles were dumped into a mixing bowl. Emily and her younger sister, Madison, had cracked two eggs which Emily whipped with a whisk and added to the macaroni.

Then, Emily added some grated cheese and stirred the mixture until most of the cheese had melted.

Emily carefully spread the mac ‘n’ cheese mixture on the prepared pizza pan.

After 10 minutes in the oven, it was time to pour pizza sauce on the baked macaroni.

Emily spread the sauce evenly over the baked macaroni to cover it completely.

Once she topped the sauce with mozzarella cheese, it was ready to go back into the oven. With patience, we all waited for the pizza to finish its final bake.

Six-year-old Madison, from the time she first heard mention of the mac ‘n’ cheese pizza, made it emphatically clear that she would not like it. But, she was the first to run into the kitchen to check out the pizza as it was pulled from the oven.

And guess what? As we all sat around the table eating pizza, salads and fresh fruit, Madison announced that Mac ‘n’ Cheese Pizza is not only the best ever, it is her new favorite food.

Three-year-old Tanner wasn’t impressed with the pizza. He’d rather eat bread. Maybe next time he’ll like the pizza.

I have such fond memories of wonderful times in the kitchen with my mom and my grandma. They taught me about cooking by giving me small challenges that allowed me to succeed and develop confidence in the kitchen. And, they inspired me to want to cook more. I see Emily going down that same path. She has several family members who love spending time with her in the kitchen.

The Doeden family highly recommends this Mac ‘n’ Cheese Pizza. According to Emily, it’s awesome, easy to make but fun. She suggests using pizza sauce rather than pasta sauce.

And I recommend spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking with a child you love. It’s the best ever.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Pizza

• 8 ounces (1¾ cups) elbow macaroni
• 4 ounces (1 cup) finely shredded Marble Jack cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of your favorite pizza or pasta sauce
• 8 ounces (2 cups) finely shredded Mozzarella cheese

Brush a 12-inch pizza pan with a small amount of olive oil, just enough to lightly coat the pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook 8 ounces elbow macaroni according to directions on package. Drain well.
In a large bowl, stir together cooked macaroni,eggs and Marble Jack cheese until cheese melts.
Spread macaroni mixture evenly on prepared pizza pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the macaroni crust. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the sauce to cover it. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer until cheese begins to turn golden.
Remove from oven. Allow the pizza to cool slightly before cutting. Slice the pizza and serve. Makes 1 (12-inch) pizza.

  • Cooked ground beef or Italian sausage can be added to the topping.