If you haven’t ever had homemade stuffed peppers, you just don’t know what you’re missing. Not only is this stuffed pepper recipe inexpensive and simple to prepare, your whole family will love them – and how many meals can you say that about?

• WHAT YOU NEED:
  4 medium green bell peppers
  1 pound lean ground beef
  1 cups of cooked white rice
  1 cup purple onion, chopped
  cup shredded cheese
  2 cups tomatoes, crushed or pureed
  Seasoning to taste
  Olive oil

WHAT TO DO:
Start by preheating the oven or toaster oven to 375 degrees and boiling two quarts of water in a saucepan.

1. Now remove the tops from four medium green bell peppers and remove the seeds from inside. Drop the peppers into the pot of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the color  begins to turn a bright, vibrant green. Remove the peppers and allow to cool.

2. Brown the ground beef and onions in a shallow pan over medium heat. Drain off the fat and return the beef and onions to the pan.

3. Add rice, tomatoes and cheese to the pan and stir until well mixed. The mixture should be fairly thick.

4. Carefully spoon the mixture into each green pepper until completely full and place peppers in a small casserole dish. Sprinkle additional cheese and salsa (optional) on top of the peppers and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops begin to brown slightly.

You might be thinking that it takes a lot of time to put these stuffed peppers together and you’re right, they are more labor intensive than some meals but you can also double the recipe and freeze the extras.  They will freeze and reheat in the microwave anytime for a great meal faster than you can say drive-thru!