Stuffed Peppers

OK. Should have taken the picture before we started eating them. Sorry. Nevertheless...

4 Green Bell Peppers (all about the same size, all nicely shaped so they'll sit on the pan)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large can tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. cooked rice
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Carefully cut the top stems off of the peppers, then reach in with a spoon and scrape out all the membranes and seeds (compost or throw those parts away). Put the peppers in a pot of boiling water for just about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove them from the water. Drain on a rack. (The peppers will be little bowls for the filling)

Prepare a pan to cook the peppers in by spreading about 1/4 c of the tomato sauce across the bottom. This will prevent the peppers from sticking to the pan as they bake. Place the peppers, standing with the hole on top, in the prepared pan.

In a large frying pan, brown ground beef and onion till beef is no longer pink and onion is translucent. Add garlic. Cook another minute or two. Remove from heat.

Add tomato sauce to the beef mixture and stir. Next, stir in however much cooked rice looks good. Add some rice, stir, taste. Repeat till you're satisfied with beef to rice ratio.

Spoon the meat/rice mixture into the peppers, filling each pepper about half way.

Put 2 or 3 T of mozzarella on top of the filling in each pepper.

Then fill the peppers up to the top with the meat mixture. Top each with cheese. I spread any extra filling around the peppers in the pan.

Bake at 400 about 30 minutes, till cheese is bubbly. (Don't forget there's cheese deep inside each pepper, too. So give that time to get good and hot.)

Spread