Mexican Stuffed Peppers

This little 5 ingredient number is adapted from Kim Coleman of Columbia, SC. Is that in the US? Well, anyway, her inspiration must have come from Mexico. Ha! Cracking myself up here! Hope you all are doing well! Had a minor setback with an unexpected gallbladder surgery; took that baby out thank goodness! Been a bit on the sleepy side, but am waking back up! I also got false nails in there somewhere. So not sure if that might be more of the culprit as to why I’m not typing as much. Oh, here come the giggles again. So, here’s to a 5 ingredient meal!

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 envelope (5.4 oz.) Mexican-style rice and pasta mix
1 1/2 cups water
8 medium bell peppers
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, cook and crumble beef over medium heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes; drain. (You know how I like to add olive oil, Montreal Steak seasoning, and kosher salt while cooking ground beef. Or now you do.) Stir in tomatoes, rice mix and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 6-8 minutes.

Cut and discard tops from peppers; remove seeds. Put the peppers in a greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Place 1/3 cup of the beef mixture in each pepper; sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese. Top with the remaining rice mixture. Bake, covered, 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and peppers are crisp-tender, 5-10 minutes.

COOKING THE BOOKS, YA’LL!