Slow Cooker Stuffed Red Peppers

1 cup millet

4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth, divided

6-8 red peppers

2 cups onions, small dice

2 cups celery, small dice

5 tablespoons avocado oil, divided

1½ pounds 80/20 ground beef

7 cloves garlic pressed or minced

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup dry red wine

1 10-ounce bag baby spinach

1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese, plus 2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt and pepper

Depending on the size of the peppers available, you should be able to fit 6-8 red peppers in a 7-quart slow cooker.

In a 10-inch skillet over medium high heat add 1 cup millet to toast, approximately 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally for the first 5 minutes, constantly for the last 3-5 minutes. When millet is toasted to light brown, add 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth. Stir to break up clumps. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir once and cover skillet, reduce to low heat to simmer and cook for 13 minutes. Resist the temptation to lift lid and stir the mixture. After 13 minutes, remove from heat, fluff millet and set aside.

Cut the crowns off the red peppers, separate the red pepper bottoms from the crowns, using your fingers clean the ribs and seeds from the red pepper bottoms, poke 3-4 holes in the pepper bottoms with a toothpick or knife and set aside. Remove stems and seeds from pepper tops and small dice, should be about 2 cups. Small dice a large onion, should be about 2 cups. Small dice 3-4 ribs celery ribs, about 2 cups.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil and heat with pan, when oil smokes add 1½ pounds 80/20 ground beef, break up clumps into small pieces during cooking, sprinkle with 2 pinches of salt and 2 pinches ground pepper. Cook until browned, no pink remains, approximately 10 minutes. Pour browned ground beef into colander to drain.

Return skillet to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons avocado oil, 2 cups onions, 2 cups celery, 2 cups red peppers to deglazed pan. Sprinkle with 3 pinches salt. Cook until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground pepper. Cook until fragrant of garlic and oregano, about 1 minute. Add 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, 2 cups reduced chicken broth, ¾ cup wine. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes to reduce slightly, remove from heat. Pour sauce mixture into the slow cooker. Return skillet to stove and add 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. Add half of spinach, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, sauté until wilted. Add balance of spinach and sauté until wilted.

In a large bowl combine millet, ground beef, 1 cup Romano cheese, 2 cups of vegetable tomato sauce, spinach and mix until combined. Using a tablespoon, pack meat/millet mixture in pepper bottom, when mixture is packed to top of pepper, turn spoon over and crown the top of the pepper with a mound of mixture. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of Romano cheese on top of stuffed peppers.

Cook on low for approximately 4 hours or until peppers are soft-tender. Check your slow cooker for doneness, timing will need to be adjusted.

Chop 3 tablespoons fresh bail; add basil to 1 tablespoon avocado oil.

Place 1 or 2 stuffed peppers on plate, add chopped basil and avocado oil to sauce, stir and spoon sauce over stuffed peppers. When serving, have extra grated Romano cheese and red pepper flakes available for taste.

Serve stuffed peppers with a mixed salad of choice.

Serves 4 with maybe a leftover lunch

Greg Zielinski

• The Cook of the Week Challenge contestants' recipes are published exactly as submitted to the judges for evaluation.