Stuffed Bell Peppers {Granny's Recipe}

My mother enjoyed making Stuffed Bell Pepper as much as she enjoyed seeing my husband eat them. I only remember my mother using the green bell peppers, but the different colored ones are so readily available now that I usually use them along with some green ones too. The yellow, red, and orange ones are a little sweeter, and my daughter, Jennifer prefer them over the green ones. Some people boil their bell pepper for 5 minutes in boiling water before they stuff them. I decided to save that step and put the water in the bottom of the dish when I cook then, and that keeps the bell peppers plump and easy to cut into. I can still see my mother at her kitchen stove taking these out of the oven and putting them on the table with a big smile. Mother's cooking was all about you enjoying the experience of eating delicious food.

Stuffed Bell Pepper

8 medium bell peppers (2 green, 2 orange, 2 red, and 2 yellow)
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 cup minced onion
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 cup cooked rice
2 eggs
2 tablespoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups water
2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven 375 degrees F. Cut tops of bell pepper off and chop enough of the tops to make 1/4 cup; set aside. Core and clean inside of bell peppers out; set aside. In a medium bowl combine ground beef, 1/4 cup chopped bell peppers, onions, garlic, rice, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and coriander; mix well. Divided meat mixture into 8 equal parts.
Arrange bell pepper in a large baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper in the cavity of the bell pepper. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture. Fill the bottom of the baking dish with water enough to come up to a 1/3 of the bell pepper. May not need all the 2 cups of water. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and top each bell pepper with equal parts of ketchup. Garnish with parsley. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Serves 8-10.