Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is one of my favorite naturally gluten and lactose free meals. There are plenty of vegetables, meat and rice to keep this girl happy and stuffed! I always make four peppers - two for lunches at work and two that go into the freezer. After the peppers cool down, I place them in quart size freezer bags, squeeze the air out, and toss them in the freezer. I defrost them in the fridge the night before I want to eat them and reheat them for about two minutes in the microwave (hint: cut the pepper in half before putting it in the microwave.) It is REALLY easy to make this recipe in bulk - especially since peppers are finally in season and are much cheaper this time of the year! I'm always excited to find these in my freezer! What a great alternative to a frozen dinner!

This recipe is a combination of a few different varieties and it is by far the fastest and easiest. When I made this latest batch, I only used a pinch of dried basil and used a few small fresh basil leaves that I cut up.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 green peppers (or red if you like!)
1 can of diced tomatoes (you only need half of an average size can - put the other half in a plastic container in the fridge)
1/2 onion
3/4 pound of ground beef or ground chuck
1/3 cup rice - UNCOOKED
1/2 cup water
1 T Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
1/2 t dried basil (or to taste)
1/2 t dried oregano (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste



Note: remember to preheat your oven to 375 degrees!

Boil water in your largest pot.
Gut the green peppers so you are left with a beautiful, empty shell that will serve as a bowl.
Once your water is boiling, add your green peppers for about a few minutes to soften them. Then remove and set inside a square baking pan while you prepare the stuffing.

Dice your onion.
In a large skillet on medium heat, cook your onion and meat until done and drain the fat.
Stir in the uncooked rice, water, tomatoes (with some of the liquid), Worcestershire sauce and spices (and salt and pepper to taste) in with your onion and meat. Once the water stars boiling, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the rice is done.
Stuff your peppers! If there is any extra, spoon it around the peppers.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and enjoy!