Stuffed Peppers

Growing up-my mom always made traditional stuffed peppers with ground beef, tomato sauce and white rice. She'd always melt a slice of american cheese on top. That's good, but here's a more "modern" variation.










Super Quick Stuffed Peppers

-3 large green peppers
-1 bag of Uncle Ben's 90 second garden vegetable rice
-1 8 oz can of diced tomatoes drained
-1 lb. of ground turkey
-garlic salt, onion powder, pepper
-olive oil
-shredded mozzarella cheese (I just use plain store brand that you buy pre-shredded)
-grated parmesan cheese (I use the kind in the shaker container)
-spaghetti sauce (I like Prego traditional-but use your favorite)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Put on a pot of water to boil. Cut the tops off the green peppers, toss out the insides & seeds, rinse, and slice the peppers in half.

3. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a large frying or saute pan. Start frying the turkey and breaking it up into smaller chunks (I use medium heat). As soon as the water in the pot comes to a boil, throw the peppers in so they can cook while you are frying the turkey.

4. When the turkey is about half way cooked, stir in the tomatoes and add some garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder. I just add a little of the seasoning for flavor while its cooking. You can add more later. Keep an eye on the green peppers. I usually check them with tongs. You want them to be softened but not mushy.

5. When the turkey is just about through cooking, pop the Uncle Ben's rice in the microwave. (Follow the directions on the back) When it is ready dump it into the pan, add 1/3 cup of spaghetti sauce, and stir well. Shake on the parmesan cheese (I would say that I give it 4 big shakes out of the side with the holes) and add more seasonings (if desired) to taste. Mix again and turn off heat.

6. When the peppers are done: drain them and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. (The foil is to catch any drippings). In the bottom of each pepper place about a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella cheese.

7. Fill the pepper with your turkey/rice mixture. You should have enough to fill all 6 of the pepper halves and have some left over. I make them heaping.

8. Put a tablespoon (or more if you like) of spaghetti sauce over the top of the turkey/rice mixture.

9. Put shredded cheese on top of the sauce, again, using as much as you like. I'd say I probably use 1-2 tablespoons.

10. Bake for 8-10 minutes so that the cheese melts and the mixture sets a bit.

Enjoy!

Variations: Sometimes I'll fry some peppers and onions and use real garlic instead of onion powder and garlic salt. You can also use shredded cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella.

If you'd rather leave the peppers whole-(I do sometimes) I like to put the mixture in half way, sauce, cheese, more mixture and top the same.