stuffed peppers

I'm continuing my Eat Through the Kitchen Challenge.  Today I made stuffed peppers.  The only thing I had to buy was the peppers.

Tomorrow I plan to make steak and maybe some potatoes.  Since I try not to eat potatoes too often I bought myself an asparagus saute pack from Trader Joe's.  It has asparagus, onions, and mushrooms.  Bob won't eat that, so I'll have it all to myself.  Darn.

Stuffed Peppers

1 box Beef Rice-a-Roni
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 an onion, chopped
4 green bell peppers
1 jar spaghetti sauce, any kind you want
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Using a large skillet, prepare the Rice-a-Roni according to the package directions.
3. While the rice is cooking, cut the tops off the peppers. If the peppers won't stand up, cut the bottoms to make them flat.
4. Chop up the pepper tops, minus the stems.
5. In a large skillet, cook the chopped pepper tops and the onions until tender.
6. Add the beef or turkey to the skillet and brown.  Drain when finished.
7. When the rice is finished cooking, add the browned meat, onions, and peppers to the rice. 
8. Stir in 3/4 of the spaghetti sauce.
9. Spray the bottom of a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
10. Put the peppers in the baking dish and fill with the rice and meat mixture.  Put any leftover mixture in the pan around the peppers.
11. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.  Note:  If you like a crisp pepper, adjust your cooking times.  We like them very soft.
12. Take the cover off the pan and pour the remaining spaghetti sauce over the peppers.  Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until the peppers are completely soft.  
13. Put the shredded cheddar over the peppers and return to the oven until the cheese is melted.