STUFFED BELLE PEPPER

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STUFFED BELLE PEPPERS

4 medium or large bell peppers (whichever color looks the best)
1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium bell pepper chopped
2 large cloves garlic, mashed and minced
1 2 – 2  cups cooked rice
1 Jar of prepared salsa 14-oz.
2 T chopped fresh oregano, or 2 tsp dried
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 C Creamed Corn – canned
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Additional salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350E F.

Clean the peppers. Slice off the top and remove the core and seeds. If peppers do not stand by themselves, take off just enough of the bottom to make it level, but don’t cut thru the pepper.   Chop the removed portions and reserve.

Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet, breaking apart any large lumps. Drain off excess fat, you can even rinse it in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the onions and reserved chopped green peppers; sauté until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more. Transfer the ground beef mixture to a large bowl, using a slotted spoon. Add the cooked rice, 2 the salsa, oregano, corn, Parmesan cheese and all but 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese and blend well. Taste for seasoning. Stir in additional salt, pepper, oregano or Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared peppers, packing firmly but not too tight. Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish, placing them side-by-side to help hold each other upright (gangs do that). Sprinkle with the reserved salsa. Cover and bake for 1 hour, or until peppers are tender and stuffing is thoroughly heated. Remove cover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese. Place under broiler until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Notes: You can stuff eggplant, squash or zucchini, by cutting in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center, reserving the scooped out portion for use in the stuffing.  But our Belle is partial to peppers.