1 pound lean ground beef
1/3 cup rice
1/4 cup fine bulgur
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/4 cup curly or flat leaf parsley, chopped fine
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons basil
2 tablespoons lemon juice Black pepper to taste
3 medium bell peppers
3 firm large fresh tomatoes
2 medium zucchini squash, halved (or any combination of the above)

Optional: Plain yogurt, dried mint

1. Combine the meat, rice, bulgur, onion, parsley, salt, basil, pepper and 1/2 a cup of the tomato sauce  and set aside.

2. Wash the green peppers. Remove the tops and core out the seeds and membranes. Cut the stem off the top and save the remaining lid. Wash the tomatoes. Carefully cut a circle around the top and scoop out the contents with a corer or grapefruit spoon. The pulp can be set aside and used later. Wash and scrub the zucchinis. Slice off the stems and cut the zucchini in half. With a corer or spoon remove the inside. This pulp can be used later along with the tomato pulp, see below.

3. Stuff each of the prepared vegetables with the meat and rice filling. Fill loosely then replace the lids on the peppers.

4. Line a large pot with the stuffed vegetable open end side facing up. Combine the water, lemon juice and remaining tomato sauce and pour over the vegetables. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for an hour. Serve hot. I like to serve this with a scoop of yogurt and/or sprinkle of dried mint or with yogurt and cucumber sauce as a side. (Recipe included on the web site)

Note: In my Armenian grandmother’s kitchen, very few foods ever went to waste!! My grandmother would use the inside of the hollowed vegetables to make some sort of dish. For a quick veggie dish, I have sautéd a small onion in 1 teaspoon of olive oil, added the sliced zucchini pulp and the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon each of basil and oregano. Sauté until desired tenderness about 10 minutes and my grandmother would have definitely approved!