Stuffed Green Peppers

For supper tonight, I made some stuffed green peppers. This was a staple at our house when I was growing up, but I've adjusted the recipe to my own taste. Usually, I throw in whatever I have in the cabinets or fridge, and tonight was no exception! I think this time I've hit upon the perfect recipe, so I'll start making it this way every time from now on:

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 large green bell peppers
Cooking spray (such as Pam)
1 box Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice
2 c hot water
1 T butter (I use the real stuff -- no margarine for me!)
1 - 10oz can tomato soup (I use Campbell's condensed)
1 - 16oz (1lb) bag Frozen Beginnings 3 Pepper & Onion Recipe Starters (The one I use is Kroger brand, but you could use any frozen bell pepper/onion blend. I like this one because it has yellow, red, & green bell peppers.)
Red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the inside of a 8x8 or 9x9 square glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cut green bell peppers in half cross-wise, so that the bottom and top both form bases, with bowl-like sections facing up. Clean all membranes & seeds out of peppers. Arrange the four pepper "bowls" in the baking dish and set aside.

Saute rice with butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat until light brown. Add hot water, seasoning packet from rice box, and tomato soup. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Most of the liquid will have been absorbed towards the end of cooking.

As rice simmers, defrost frozen pepper/onion mixture in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) and heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute pepper/onion mixture in frying pan for 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (more if you like heat, less if you don't) during cooking. Set aside until rice is done.

When rice is done, add pepper/onion mixture to saucepan and stir together until well mixed. Add half shredded cheese and stir completely through. Spoon rice mixture evenly into bell pepper halves, heaping until rice has all been used. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Sprinkle stuffed peppers with the remaining cheese and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes until cheese has melted, keeping a close eye on the peppers so that cheese and rice do not burn.

Let stuffed peppers sit for 2-5 minutes, so that juices can be absorbed into rice and peppers. Serve immediately.

We often eat these by themselves for dinner, but they could also be a great side item to serve with tacos, enchiladas, or quesadillas.