Uncle Wilson's stuffed bell peppers

By mamacasma

"Uncle Wilson is my mom's brother. He's a really great cook; he was in our first cookbook, too. He's one of those guys that when you see him, you just smile because he's always got a big smile on his face. In the last few years, Garth and I have started a Fourth of July tradition where everyone comes over to our house and we have a big feast. Uncle Wilson decided to drive out from Georgia and join us a couple of years ago. He made these stuffed peppers. I had never had them before, and they were awesome!"

Ingredients

• 6 large red or green bell peppers
• 2 ½ cups long-grain white rice (or rice of your choice)
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• ½ medium-size sweet onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1 10-oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation

Step 1

Note from Gwen: Before using, wilt the pepper halves in boiling water for about 5 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 15.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Cut the bell peppers in half, top to bottom. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to package directions. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain the meat. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, pepper, and salt and mix until blended.

3. In a 9×13×2-inch pan, place the bell peppers skin side down. Evenly divide the beef mixture among the pepper halves. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.