About
The Peppy Pepper Bake certainly will put a pep in your step! This is basically a stuffed pepper casserole, with all the freshness and brightness of bell peppers mixed with tender rice and succulent ground beef. A rich tomato sauce coats everything in sweet goodness and a touch of taco seasoning keeps things exciting! No looking grim with Peppy Pepper Bake on the table!
Ingredients
- For the casserole:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 bell peppers, color of your choice, diced
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups instant rice
- 1 2/3 cups beef broth
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- Optional, for topping:
- jalapeño, to taste, seeded and sliced
- sour cream, to taste
- cherry tomatoes, to taste, halved
- scallions, to taste, sliced
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2 -In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, the onions, and the garlic and cook, while crumbling the beef, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 3 -Drain the excess fat from the skillet.
Step 4 -Add the taco seasoning, the water, and the bell peppers to the beef mixture and stir to combine.
Step 5 -Simmer the beef mixture until most of the water has evaporated, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 6 -In a 9x13-inch baking pan, add the beef mixture, the diced tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, the rice, and the beef broth and stir to combine.
Step 7 -Cover the baking pan and bake until the rice is tender, about 30-35 minutes.
Step 8 -Uncover the baking dish and sprinkle the bake with the cheddar cheese.
Step 9 -Switch the oven to the broil setting and broil until the cheese is melted, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 10 -Allow the bake to rest for 5 minutes.
Step 11 -Serve with your favorite toppings.
