Stuffed Green Pepper

This is a rather retro recipe that makes you feel good about eating vegetables while hiding all that cheesy goodness inside. My recipe calls for ground beef but the recipe is easily adapted for vegetarians by sauteing the onions alone then adding black beans to the stuffing instead of the meat. The recipe makes a generous amount of filling to stuff a large green pepper.

Ingredients
1 green bell pepper
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
3 oz ground beef
1/4 cup rice
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Tools
sharp knife
measuring cups
measuring spoons
small saucepan
medium sized pot
small ceramic baking dish
frying pan
small mixing bowl
spatula

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare your vegetables. Wash the green pepper and cut the top off. Remove the inner ribs and seeds and set aside. Dice the onion.
3. Fill a medium sized pot with enough water to cover the green pepper and bring to a boil. Once the water is a rollicking boil, immerse the green pepper. Remove the pepper after 5 minutes and set aside.
4. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Add rice, tomato paste, and a dash of salt. Stir several times. Cover the rice and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until all of the water is absorbed.
5. Meanwhile while the rice is cooking, you can start on the rest of the filling for the green pepper. Over medium heat, saute the onions and ground beef in the frying pan. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the beef is no longer pink.
6. In a small bowl, mix the rice, ground beef with onions and the cheddar cheese. Set the green pepper in a small baking dish and fill with the rice mixture. Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese.
7. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese on top gets brown and bubbly.