N'Awlins Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery , chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper , chopped
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon file powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 0.75 pounds cooked ham , finely chopped
• 1 pound baby shrimp
• 1 package unseasoned dry bread stuffing mix , 16 ounce
• 6 large green bell peppers , halved and seeded
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. 2

   Heat oil in a large pot over low heat. Saute onion, celery and chopped green pepper for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and saute for 2 minutes. Season with parsley, Creole seasoning, file powder, salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Increase heat to medium high, and add ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Stir in ham, and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in stuffing mix.

4. 4

   Stuff each bell pepper half, and lightly sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Place stuffed bell pepper halves in ungreased baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour.