Stuffed Peppers

Well, Hello there! I know, it's been way too long since my last post. I suck. Anyway, here's a new recipe for you...

Please keep in mind that I'm writing this as I cook, and I've never made this before, nor do I have a recipe. I'm winging it!

You will need...
8 bell peppers
1 lb of lean ground beef, I prefer 93% lean
1 cup of white rice
2 cups of diced plum tomatoes
1 cup of diced red onion
8 cloves of minced, fresh garlic
2 tbsp of butter
8 oz cleaned, sliced button mushrooms
2 cups water
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the meat, breaking it up into small chunks. When it's ready, drain the fat and set meat aside in a medium sized bowl. In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced red onion and garlic. Saute until just starting to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Put the onions and garlic in the bowl with the meat, then add 2 tbsp olive oil to the same pan. When it's heated up, add the mushroom and saute until slightly browned. About 5-7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the meat, onions and garlic. Add parsley and Parmesan cheese. Stir well.

While meat is browning and onions and garlic, etc are cooking, in a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add rice, stirring often, to lightly brown. When the rice is ready, add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover for 20 minutes. When the rice is done cooking, add the meat mixture and stir well.

While you're doing all of that, pre-heat the oven to 350. Slice the tops off of the bell peppers. Remove and discard the seeds and ribs. Get a large pot of water boiling.When the water is boiling, add peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, then quickly remove them from the boiling water. Place peppers in a casserole dish and fill with meat/rice mixture. Top with additional cheese if desired. I happened to have about 1 cup of mozzarella in my fridge, so I used that. Cook in the oven for 15 minutes, then serve!

Okay, so I only actually used 5 bell peppers, so I froze the remaining filling. Hopefully I'll think of a clever way to use it. I figured 5 peppers would be enough for my small family of 3. I hope you enjoy!