Shrimp Stuffed Bell Peppers

OK, so this Friday I wanted to really make something meat-free. I did not even realize until this past Tuesday or Wednesday that I put sausage in last Friday's Shrimp and Grits - totally defeating the purpose of eating seafood on Friday. Duh! I just wasn't thinking - but it sure was good.

So determined to make something truly meat free this Friday, I chose Shrimp Stuffed Peppers. I had a recipe as a guideline, but I changed it a lot - the recipe I had even left out one of the listed ingredients. So here's my version:

Shrimp Stuffed Peppers (serves 4 - 6)
1 Tbls Olive Oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 lb. raw shrimp (I used small Gulf shrimp), peeled
Cajun seasoning to taste (about 1 Tbls.)
3 Tbls. butter
1 cup rice, cooked
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs, plus extra
1/2 can cream of shrimp soup (or cream of chicken or celery)
4 large green bell peppers (6 medium), tops removed and cored

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in sauce pan. Add chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper. Saute on medium until tender (about 3 - 5 minutes). Add shrimp and cook until shrimp is pink. Add butter, rice, soup, bread crumbs and seasoning. Stir until well mixed. Scoop shrimp mixture into bell peppers. Top shrimp mixture with bread crumbs. Place bell pepper in baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Lessons learned - You could add a more (a cup more) rice if you need this to stretch. I filled three very large bell peppers with a little left over. I'd probably add a few more bread crumbs to the mixture next time and a little more Cajun seasoning. If you use large shrimp, I would probably chop them. Bell peppers were cooked perfectly - tender, but still firm. Overall it was yummy. You could even use the filling to top fish or put in wontons.