When I was in college, I lived with 3 roommates in a house off campus. We had to share a fridge and it was pretty much always full of random leftovers and random takeout food. Oh, and a whole lot of pitchers of sangria. It was a really, really weird time where I had a ton of bad, gluten free food. I hated it.

But then I met my husband. And as a result, I’m a lot pickier about my food now. I don’t eat much fast food (except for In-N-Out and Taco Bell, which is weird and I don’t understand why those count as fast food). I’m very particular about what I put in my body. I think this comes from always having to be on a gluten free diet, and knowing that my body reacts badly to a lot of stuff.

I’m also pretty much the only vegetarian in my family. So as I was shopping for my parents and bro-in-law for Christmas, I went shopping alone because I wanted to get them things they’d really enjoy. This meant no Christmas ham. And I know that’s just not an option for some families. So I decided to make my own version of the Serrano Ham Stuffed Peppers my parents love so much. Somehow I remembered to make the stuffing for them, which is basically just cubed ham and bread. But I also made the sauce, which is slightly spicy and delicious. The recipe below won’t make as much sauce as you’ll need to stuff all of the peppers, so it’s best to make 1/2 the sauce recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

• 1/2 cup tomato, chopped

• 1/2 cup ham, chopped

• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

• 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup onion, minced

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup onion, minced

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup garlic, minced

• 1/2 cup onion, minced

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

• 1/2 cup garlic, minced