Name: Mom's Stuffed Peppers
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, browned; 1 tablespoon minced garlic; 1 cup fine bread crumbs; 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; 4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley; 3 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped; 1 cup fresh tomatoes, precooked (or canned tomatoes); 2 eggs; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 8 medium peppers, stemmed, cored, and seeded; 1 tablespoon olive oil for drizzling over peppers before baking; 1 cup tomato sauce

Image may contain Plant Vegetable Food Pepper and Bell Pepper

Photo by Adriana Trigiani and Mary Yolanda Trigiani

Give this American comfort food classic an Italian-American twist with ground beef, Parmesan, basil, and tomato sauce.

A Tip From Pia

Mom sometimes made these with rice in the mixture. It makes the dish a bit heartier.

Recipe notes

Sofrito Bolognese

An ex-boyfriend’s mom—who emigrated from Colombia—made the best meat sauce—she would fry sofrito for the base and simply add cooked ground beef, sazón, and jarred tomato sauce. My version is a bit more bougie—it calls for caramelized tomato paste and white wine—but the result is just as good.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Halloumi Lasagna

In this lasagna, soft layers of pasta and béchamel are interspersed with a rich tomato sauce laden with hearty Mediterranean vegetables.

Spinach Ramen Gratin

You can consider this recipe a template for creating a gooey, cheesy instant ramen dish with an appetizing golden crust in the oven.

Pasta Alla Mezcal

This marinara sauce is great tossed with any pasta for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that will leave you thinking, “Why didn’t anyone try this sooner?”

Stir-Fried Phở Noodles With Beef

This dish is not only a quick meal option but also a practical way to use leftover phở noodles when you’re out of broth.

Beef Stroganoff Ramen

This traditional dish of beef, sour cream, and mustard may have originated in Russia, but it’s about time for a version with ramen noodles, don’t you think?