Stuffed Green Peppers

Ever wonder what to do with the white rice that comes with your meal at the Chinese restaurant that most people ignore? I don't like wasting food so we bring it home, and I'm typically the one who eats, just reheated with a pat of melted butter. Ole Sweetie-Pi doesn't care for rice; to him it just has no flavor and looks like lice eggs.

However, with a little doctoring, even Ole Sweetie-Pi will eat rice, and one of our old time favorites is stuffed peppers. This is just a basic recipe, something that my mother made from time to time and it's still as good now as it was then. I think you could add additional spices and it would be even tastier.

Stuffed Green Peppers
from the Betty Crocker Cookbook

6 large green peppers
5 cups boiling, salted water

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350F.

Find a pot large enough to hold all the peppers and heat the water with salt added.

Cut a thin slice from the stem end of each pepper. Remove all seeds and membranes. Wash inside and out. Add peppers to the boiling water and boil for five minutes. Remove peppers from pot and drain.

In a saute pan, cook and stir ground beef and onion until onion is tender. Drain off fat. Stir in salt, garlic, rice and one cup of tomato sauce. Heat through.

Lightly spoon each pepper with about 1/2 cup of the meat-rice mixture. Stand peppers upright in an ungreased baking dish. Pour remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover; bake for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes longer. I personally add a little sprinkle of cheese.

The next night, with my leftovers, I make my version of Spanish rice, depending what I have on hand. I start off by scooping the rice out of the cooked green peppers and chop them up. I'll likely add more green peppers, add more onion, maybe some celery. Cook through add the leftover rice. And here I'll add my spices: paprika, black pepper, chili powder, a little cumin. If I have it and if I think it needs it, I might add more tomato sauce or even some salsa.

So good!