Italian Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

4 bell peppers, any color

1 lb. ground beef

1 ½ cups jarred tomato pasta sauce, divided

1 Tbsp. dry Italian seasoning

1 cup instant rice, cooked

1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Notes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a square casserole dish.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
3. In a separate small pot or in the microwave, cook the instant rice according to package directions. Note: can also use leftover cooked rice
4. Meanwhile, prepare the bell peppers by slicing off the stem-top about ½-inch from the top of the pepper. Use a small knife to carefully cut out the seeds and ribs. Dice the remaining pepper tops into ½ inch squares set to the side to use in the filling.
5. Boil the peppers for 2-3 minutes. Carefully drain water from peppers and arrange them in the casserole dish.
6. To make the filling, heat a large skillet over medium heat and lightly grease with oil. Add the beef and cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess grease.