Stuffed Pepper Bake

I love this time of year when we've got a surplus of fresh produce from the garden. I like to get creative in the kitchen and find new ways to incorporate all of the veggies.  Unfortunately my bell peppers plants don't seem to be producing too well this year but I've been picking up extras from the market each weekend.

Stuffed peppers are always a favorite this time of year and I remember my mom and grandma making them often growing up. My own family loves to eat green peppers, especially raw, but they haven't been too thrilled at the idea of stuffed peppers. That's when I had the idea to mix everything together and form a type of casserole dish.

I'd call it a success, this dish was something that everyone ate pretty well and used simple ingredients I typically have on hand. Plus it will take care of a couple green peppers you might have sitting on the counter from the garden. I can't wait to try this again with my homemade freezer spaghetti sauce, I think that would be great in this, especially with all of the fresh veggies!


Stuffed Pepper Bake

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice
1 lb. ground beef
2 green peppers, chopped
1 jar spaghetti sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Olive oil

Directions:
Cook rice according to package directions and set aside. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook hamburger and green peppers until meat is done and no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in rice and sauce, let cook until heated through, just a few minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese, stir until just starting to melt. Dump into a medium sized casserole dish, I used an 11x7-inch dish. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Stir together bread crumbs and about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a small bowl. Mix until crumbs are clumpy and then sprinkle on top of dish.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until heated through.