Southwest Stuffed Peppers

We really like stuffed peppers. I have tried a couple of different recipes and tonight's was a hit! Even though it used ground beef, which we are trying to limit, It was still pretty healthy. The green peppers themselves are full of Vitamin C and the tomatoes are also great for you. The recipe makes 8 servings but I only fixed 4 and saved the rest of the filling to be used later in the week as taco filling.


SOUTHWEST STUFFED PEPPERS
8 medium green peppers
1 lb. lean ground beef (I am going to used ground turkey next time)
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained (14 1/2 ou.)
 1 1/2 c. water
 1 envelope (5.4 ou) Mexican-style rice and pasta mix (Rice-a-Roni brand is what I used)
2 c.(8ou.) shredded Mexican cheese blend
 Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In a dutch oven, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 min. Drain and rinse in cool water; set aside.
In a large skillet brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the diced tomatoes, water, and pasta mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 6-8 min. or until liquid is absorbed.

Place 1/3 c. rice mixture in each pepper; sprinkle with 2 tbsp. cheese and top with remaining rice mixture. Place in a  greased 9x13 baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 for 25 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are tender.