stuffed pepper casserole

I love stuffed peppers, but the recipes are too fussy and labor intensive for me in this season of life. All the prep you have to do with the peppers. Ain't nobody got time for that! This casserole is a satisfying alternative, and it is also one of those recipes where you can throw in beans, veggies, chopped spinach...whatever cheese you need to use up. It's versatile. 

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

one onion, diced

1 spoonful jarred garlic

2-3 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup rice (measured before cooking)

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 cup Mexican blend cheese + a little extra for topping 

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

Cook rice. I always like to cook mine in chicken broth for flavor. In another pan, sauté diced onion in some olive oil, add garlic, and then beef. Drain when done. Add rotel tomatoes and cooked rice when cooled just a bit, then cheese. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. 

In a casserole dish, layer diced peppers and then pour on beef mixture. Top with some cheese. Bake in oven on 350 for 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil for the last bit of cooking and let the cheese get a tiny bit browned. 

I cut up some fresh spinach and mixed it in the beef mixture. Herbs would also be nice.

My family really enjoyed this meal. I served it with a side of frozen broccoli. And of course I doubled the recipe. Cook once, eat twice. Always.

And yes I did use aluminum pans. This would be a good meal to take to a new mom or a sick friend.