Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers

Instructions

1. 01

   Wash the peppers and slice the tops off, horizontally. Discard the seeds and membranes. Level the bottoms if necessary to stand up in your baking dish. Alternatively, you can prepare the peppers as pictured, by slicing the peppers in half, vertically, and discarding the seeds and membranes.

2. 02

   Place the peppers in a 13x9 baking dish (or casserole dish) with a lid (or use aluminum foil when the lid is needed). Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F.

3. 03

   Add oil to a large skillet over high-medium heat. When hot, saute the onion and garlic until softened and translucent (about 3-4 minutes).

4. 04

   Add the ground beef to the skillet, sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, and cook until brown. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce for the pepper filling (next step).

5. 05

   While the beef cooks, add the tomato sauce and all the seasonings to a medium bowl. Mix well to combine.

6. 06

   When the beef is cooked through (about 5-7 minutes), stir in the sauce and cooked rice to coat all the ingredients. Note, if there's a lot of fat in the skillet, drain the extra fat from the skillet before adding the tomato mixture.

7. 07

   Evenly stuff peppers with the beef and rice mixture, packing the filling in if necessary. (If you're freezing the peppers, stop here and freeze the peppers for a future meal.)

8. 08

   Cover (with foil or the lid) and bake the peppers for 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are cooked to your desired texture, testing with a knife inserted in the side. Red and yellow peppers require about 30 minutes in the oven. Green peppers are firmer, so they will need about 35 minutes.

9. 09

   Sprinkle cheese over the stuffed peppers and return to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

10. 10

    Serve warm.