Easy. Elegant. Delicious.

When I don't have a lot of time to spend cooking dinner, stuffed bell peppers are a great choice. They only require about 15 minutes of prep work and are ready to eat in about 45 minutes. They can also be prepared ahead of time and just reheated at the last minute. This makes them perfect for entertaining because I can get the kitchen cleaned up before guests arrive, yet I still look like I went to a lot of trouble cooking dinner. This recipe calls for lean ground beef, but they can easily be made with ground turkey or with extra vegetables for a delicious meatless entree. To make the recipe as pictured, I start by browning lean ground beef with onions and garlic. While this is cooking, I blanch the peppers for about 2 minutes in boiling salted water. To the browned meat, I add herbs, Worcestershire sauce, and cooked orzo pasta. I then fill the peppers with this mixture and top each pepper with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. After baking for 30 minutes, I like to top the peppers with a bit more cheese and serve with a bowl of marinara sauce for guests to add if they like. Add a green salad and some crusty bread and it is a simple, elegant, delicious, and satisfying dinner.