Instant-Pot Stuffed Peppers

If needed, trim bottoms of bell peppers so they stand upright, being careful not to create a hole in the bottom of the pepper. Slice the tops off the peppers; remove and discard stems, seeds and membranes to create bell pepper shells. Finely chop the trimmed tops and bottoms; set aside.

Select Sauté setting on a programmable pressure multicooker (such as Instant Pot; times, instructions and settings may vary according to cooker brand or model). Select High temperature setting; add oil to the cooker and allow to preheat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reserved chopped bell pepper, onion, celery, carrot and 1 tablespoon garlic to the cooker; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Press Cancel. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl; stir in ground beef, rice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Do not wipe the cooker clean.

Add tomato sauce, water and the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic to the cooker. Stuff the bell pepper shells evenly with the beef mixture (about 1 heaping cup each). Nestle the stuffed peppers into the sauce in the cooker; spoon a little sauce over each.

Cover the cooker and lock the lid in place. Turn steam release handle to Sealing position. Select Manual/Pressure Cook setting. Select High pressure for 10 minutes. (It will take 10 to 15 minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure before cooking begins.) When cooking has finished, carefully turn the steam release handle to Venting position and let the steam fully escape (the float valve will drop; this will take 3 to 4 minutes). Remove the lid from the cooker. Carefully remove the stuffed peppers from the cooker; set aside until ready to serve.

Select Sauté setting. Select High temperature setting, and bring the sauce in the cooker to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Press Cancel. Spoon the sauce over the stuffed peppers. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.