Fran Concklin has been a cherished member of the Centra Team for over five decades. Having been a nurse on the pediatric and neonatal care units along with being a part of the IV Therapy Team, she has worked in each of Centra’s hospitals. However, she explained, “Virginia Baptist has always felt like home to me. My mother and aunt were both nurses here.”
Her recipe for stuffed peppers, which first appeared in the VBH Cookbook called, “Nurses Can Cook, Volume II,” recently found its way into the commemorative cookbook published this year in celebration the Baptist’s centennial.
When asked about the origin of her recipe, Fran recounted how she first discovered a similar version in a 1960s edition of a Country Cookbook. "I modified it," she says. "I used to cook this dish for dates before heading to a movie. My husband loves this recipe because of the green peppers, but I would often just eat the stuffing!”
You can watch Fran make this recipe or read the recipe below!
Fran’s Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
- 4 large peppers (red or green)
- 1 cup of cooked jasmine rice (Fran prefers it for its slight sweetness)
- 1 pound of ground beef or turkey
- 2 tablespoons of red onion, chopped
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- ¼ cup of celery
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- Dash of pepper
- ¼ cup of ketchup
- 1 can (8 ounces) of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar (to balance the acidity of the tomato sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon of basil
- ½ cup of grated cheese of your choice (Fran recommends mild cheddar or pepper jack)
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Cut the peppers and remove the membrane and seeds.
- Boil the peppers for five minutes to tenderize.
- Brown and drain the ground meat.
- Mix the meat with jasmine rice, dark brown sugar, red onion, celery, basil, and seasonings. Get your hands dirty—Fran believes this is the fun part!
- Stuff the peppers generously and add cheese on top.
- Bake in a greased pan at 350°F for 30-40 minutes, broiling at the end for extra crispiness.
