Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 ribs celery, diced (about 3/4 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large tomato, chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 15-ounce can black beans

1 7-ounce can roasted green chiles

1 cup frozen corn, defrosted

1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped plus more for garnish)

6 rainbow bell peppers

1 cup spicy cheese such as Chipotle Gouda or Pepper Jack

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brown the ground beef in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until cooked almost through. Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomato, tomato paste, cumin, chile powder and kosher salt and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Stir in the black beans, green chiles, corn, cooked rice and chopped cilantro.

Meanwhile, cut off the tops of the peppers and spoon out the ribs and seeds, then rinse. Lightly sprinkle the inside of the peppers with kosher salt and place in a microwave safe dish with ¼ cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.

Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and fill the peppers with the hot meat and rice mixture. Sprinkle the tops with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until peppers are tender and cheese is browned. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro. Serve hot.

Nutrition

• Calories: 386 kcal
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 64 mg
• Sodium: 1037 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 44 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 30 g