Stuffed Bell Peppers a la Hannah

I am putting up this recipe for one main reason: I swear I make more than bread and soup! 

The problem is most other stuff I make is totally thrown together, and so its hard to claim the dishes as recipes.

But here goes:

2-3 veggie stuffed peppers:

2-3 red or green peppers 

~These amazing peppers came from the Forest Grove farmers market, so they're local with a meaty flesh and are red on top, green on the bottom.

1/2 c chopped onion

3/4 c chopped peppers (red, green, yellow, whatever)

olive oil

1+ cup cooked rice

Seasoning:

As I was reading up on how to make stuffed peppers I found there are many ways to do this. Mine is kind of italian, but it seems you can pretty much throw in your veggie and spice of choice.

Sweet basil

oregano

a generous squeeze of ketchup

italian blend

garlic powder

-Be generous with these

(it would be great with some ground beef...)

Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and clean out the inside of white flesh and seeds.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add salt.

Meanwhile, turn the stove to medium high and once it is hot add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Enough to coat the bottom, but not so much that it pools at the bottom.

Add the chopped onions and let them caramelize, but don't burn them. Add peppers and spices and continue to simmer these veggies together.

Heat oven to 375 f

When your pot of water has come to a boil throw in your hollowed bell peppers, using a utensil to submerge them. Let them boil for a few minutes - online it said 3-4 minutes, I did more like 10 and it was perfect - and then use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water.

If you want to add ground beef, push your sauteed veggies to the edges of the pan and add the ground beef to the center (remember, this is only two peppers, so a handful of ground beef is plenty) and use a spatula to make sure it is all cooking. Stir until browned, then stir together all the veggies and the meat, the generous squeeze of ketchup, and the cooked rice.

Once this is combined nicely, place the peppers in a baking dish with a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the dish (probably optional). Spoon the stuffing mixture into the peppers and bake for about 30 minutes. Everything should be thoroughly cooked anyway, so there is no risk of under cooking it.