Deconstructed stuffed pepper casserole

Via Everyday Dishes, this is basically a stuffed bell pepper turned into a one-pot casserole. It comes together quite easily and is really, really tasty. Expect it to go fast.

Ingredients

• 500g extra lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 red or yellow bell peppers, coarsely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 450mL of diced tomatoes, in their juice
• 450mL of beef broth
• 225mL of tomato sauce
• 10mL beef bouillon
• 15mL worchestershire sauce
• 5mL italian seasoning
• 250mL long grain white rice, uncooked
• 500mL freshly grated cheddar cheese

Procedure

1. In a deep skillet or nonstick pot over medium high heat, brown the ground beef in a bit of olive oil.
2. Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Stir together with the beef and cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent and the bell peppers are starting to soften.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in diced tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, bouillon, worchestershire sauce and italian seasoning.
4. Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice.
5. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for ~25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and cooked through.
6. Remove from the heat. Stir lightly to fluff the rice, then sprinkle with the cheddar cheese and re-cover until the cheese has melted, ~5 minutes.

Chicken bacon pumpkin gnocchi

Based on a recipe from Nutmeg Nanny, this produces an extremely heavy and filling dish of gnocchi in a rich, creamy pumpkin sauce. The chicken didn't detract from it but didn't contribute much either; we'd probably leave it out (or replace it with something else) next time.

The original recipe calls for bacon; we did it with spicy pancetta.

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin
• 1kg vacuum-packed gnocchi (2 packets)
• 400g pancetta, chopped into small chunks
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
• 250g cream cheese
• 250mL freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 10mL smoked paprika
• 2.5mL cayenne
• 2.5mL garlic powder
• 250mL half and half cream
• a bunch of green onions, finely sliced

Procedure

1. Bisect the pumpkin, extract the guts, brush the exposed face with olive oil, place face down on a baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until fork tender.
2. Peel the pumpkin and mash the flesh to produce 300-400mL of pumpkin purée.
3. Set a pot of water to boil (for the gnocchi) in the background.
4. Set a large, deep skillet or nonstick pot over medium heat. Cook the pancetta in a bit of olive oil, until well browned but not quite crisp. Remove to a plate of paper towels with a slotted spoon.
5. Add the chicken to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until cooked through. Remove to the same plate as the pancetta.
6. Add the cream cheese, and stir gently until it starts to melt.
7. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions.
8. Add the pumpkin puree, parmesan, paprika, cayenne, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
9. Stir in the cream.
10. Stir in the gnocchi, chicken, and pancetta. Cook for ~5 minutes to warm the chicken and gnocchi through.
11. Stir in the green onions.
12. Eat!