Cheesy Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are several variations of this recipe out there. Here is mine. It is a little light on the ground beef, and uses more vegetables compared to most other recipes, except, you know, vegetarian recipes. Pointers include finding wide bell peppers that sit evenly without too many deep ridges. For the cheeses, I used a mixture of cheddar, mozzarella and hot pepper white cheese.

Cheesy Stuffed Bell Peppers
ingredients:

• 3 large bell peppers, whole
  
• 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 1 c. bell pepper, chopped
• 1 c. rice, cooked
• 1/2 c. shredded cheese
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• garlic salt, pepper, chili powder

procedure:

1. Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds. Make sure to leave as much pepper as possible. Remove the stem from the cap. Preheat the oven to 350.
   
2. Saute the onion and bell pepper. When the onion is translucent, add the rice and ground beef. Season with the garlic salt, pepper, and chili pepper. Lightly Brown.
3. Remove the meat mixture from heat and let cool. Then stuff the mixture into the peppers. Fill each pepper halfway sprinkle cheese into the pepper, add more of the mixture. Then top with another sprinkle of cheese. Place the cap back onto the pepper.
   
4. Place the peppers in a deep baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 45 mins.

Optional: Cheese Sauce
ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 c. grated cheese

procedure:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour and lightly brown. Add milk and cook over low heat until thickened.
2. Remove from heat and add the spices. Slowly stir in cheese. Then add to cooked stuffed bell pepper.