Uncle Wilson's Stuffed Bell Peppers

This one came from my cousin Katie who posted her pics of it on Facebook.  My mouth immediately started watering urging me to make a mad dash to the store for provisions.  Thank you Katie and especially to Trisha Yearwood for sharing her recipe!   This serves 6 and we are a family of 3 so I took the extra four that wouldn't fit in my pan and prepared it to the point of putting it in the oven.  I then put that dish in the freezer for us to have when I don't feel up to cooking.

Uncle Wilson's Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 large red or green bell peppers
2½ cups long-grain white rice (or rice of your choice)
2 lbs lean ground beef
½ medium-size sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, with their juices
1 10-oz can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles
16 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 4 cups)
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt


Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the bell peppers in half, top to bottom. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice according to package directions. In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic. Drain the meat. In a medium saucepan, bring the tomatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, tomatoes, pepper, and salt and mix until blended.

In a 9×13×2-inch pan, place the bell peppers skin side down. Evenly divide the beef mixture among the pepper halves. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Return the pan to the oven, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts.

Note from Gwen: Before using, wilt the pepper halves in boiling water for about 5 minutes. This will reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 15. Serves 6.

Not sure who Gwen is but she has a great tip!

Trisha Yearwood's article in Redbook