Ingredients:

1 pound Ground Beef (or turkey)

1/4 Onion, Diced

1-2 Cloves Garlic, Minced

1 Tomato, Diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes drained)

1-2 Cups Cooked Rice

1 Teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Oregano

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

Four Peppers, top removed and seeds/ribs removed

1 Jar Marinara or Homemade Red Sauce

1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese

Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Make your rice while you start to make the filling.

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.

In a large skillet warm olive oil and add onion and garlic. Let that cook until the onions are translucent and remove from pan. Brown beef in same skillet and drain (if you use turkey you can add straight to the onion and garlic, no need to drain). Once the meat is combined with the onion and garlic, add all the spices and add more or less to taste.

Add cooked rice to the meat mixture and combine well. Taste again, you may need to add more salt and seasonings once the rice is added.

I par-boil the peppers in water so the baking time is shorter. You can either slice the peppers in half or cut off the tops. If you’re making for more people I suggest cutting them in half (or if you want to have half of one color pepper and half of another).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add peppers. Let them boil for about 10-20 minutes until they begin to soften (but not too soft).

In a baking dish, pour about 1/2 a cup of red sauce and spread over the bottom.

Place the peppers on top of the red sauce and fill the peppers with the meat and rice mixture. Once they are stuffed pour the remainder of sauce onto the peppers and down into the cracks and sprinkle the tops with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Bake in the oven, covered for about 15-20 minutes. Remove foil or cover and cook for about 5 more minutes until the cheese has browned.

If you don’t par-boil the peppers, bake for 45-60 minutes until the peppers are softened.

Serve with bread and a glass of red wine!