Hidden Valley Stuffed Peppers #rsc

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 4 large red bell peppers, seeded, deveined, and halved lengthwise
• 1/2 lb ground lamb
• 2 sweet italian sausage links, casings removed
• 0.5 (1 ounce) package hidden valley original ranch seasoning mix
• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup macaroni noodles, cooked according to package directions to firm stage
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese, grated

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 2 in a large skillet, cook lamb and sausage, crumbling as it cooks until meat is no longer pink and beginning to brown. drain fat. add ½ c water, half & half, spinach, ½ package of hidden valley origianl ranch seasoning mix, 2 cloves of the crushed garlic, 1 tsp lemon juice and cook over medium heat 4 minutes. toss halved tomatoes with remaining garlic clove – set aside. make béchamel and stir in cooked macaroni noodles.
• 3 add 1 tbsp olive oil to a 13 x 9 glass baking dish and swirl to coat. place pepper halves cut side up in baking dish and brush cavity of peppers w/olive oil. spoon meat mixture into the pepper halves, dividing evenly amongst the 8 halves. top meat mixture with halved cherry tomatoes with garlic and any accumulated juices, dividing evenly between pepper halves. spoon béchamel/noodle mixture over tomatoes, again dividing equally. bake at 375? f for 45 minutes. top each stuffed pepper half with 1 slice of fresh mozzarella and continue baking until cheese melts 5-10 minutes.
• 4 béchamel sauce:.
• 5 • 1 tbsp butter.
• 6 • 1 tbsp olive oil.
• 7 • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour.
• 8 • ¾ c half & half.
• 9 • ½ teaspoons salt.
• 10 • ¼ c parmesan cheese, grated.
• 11 directions.
• 12 in a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. add the flour and stir until smooth. over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 4 minutes.
• 13 meanwhile, heat the half & half in a separate pan until just about to boil. add the hot milk to the butter mixture, whisking continuously until very smooth. bring to a boil. cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. season with salt and stir in parmesan; set aside until ready to use.