Stuffed Bell Peppers

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com  quite a few years ago. It is good the way it is written, but I have changed some of it to reflect my personal taste. I never liked bell peppers before, and remember the first time I ever had a stuffed bell pepper - I hated it. But after trying this recipe with red peppers (sweeter than their green siblings) I found that they could be quite delicious. I even made these for my husband when we were dating. He hates peppers, too, but gobbled his portion up and went back for seconds!

Even though lean ground sirloin can be low in fat, you may want to substitute it for ground turkey or ground chicken, and use chicken bouillon instead. I have done this and had equally delicious results.

Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Adapted from allrecipes.com recipe)

Photo from allrecipes.com

2 large green, red or yellow bell peppers
3/4 pound lean ground sirloin
1/4 c. yellow onion, finely chopped
1 (8 oz.) can of Hunts® fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. brown rice
3 tsp. beef-flavored bouillon granules
1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. RealSalt®  salt
1/3 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. low fat pepper-jack cheese, shredded
Sliced almonds to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Halve peppers lengthwise, removing seeds and membranes. Immerse peppers into boiling water (seasoned with 1 tsp. bouillon) for 3-5minutes. Remove peppers from water and sprinkle insides with additional bouillon. Invert on paper towels to drain.
3. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is golden brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, uncooked rice, beef bouillon, worcestershire sauce, basil, salt & pepper. Bring mixture to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 18-20 minutes or until rice is tender.
4. Stir in half of the cheese. Fill pepper halves with meat mixture. Place peppers in 2-quart baking dish along with any extra filling. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, mushrooms and almonds. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.