Chipotle Beef & Rice Stuffed Peppers

As I mentioned in my previous post, my pepper plants have been producing like crazy with this scorching heat.  The Big Bertha pepper plant has produced the most with large peppers that are perfect for stuffing.  I've made stuffed peppers a ton of different ways, but this particular recipe is Laddie's favorite. 

 

Chipotle Beef & Rice Stuffed Peppers

4 large bell peppers

1 T Canola oil

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb ground beef

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t onion powder

1/2 t cumin

S&P, to taste

1-14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 chipotle peppers, minced

1 C cooked brown rice

1/2 C hot water

Lay the pepper on its flattest side and slice off the top third so that you can hollow out and stuff your pepper.  Dice the pepper tops.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook diced peppers and onions until translucent.  Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add beef, season with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and S&P, and cook until browned (it doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through at this point because it’s going to continue to cook once stuffed into the pepper).  Add tomatoes & chipotle and stir to incorporate.  Take it off the heat and fold in the rice. 

Stuff the peppers with the beef and rice mixture and set the stuffed peppers in a shallow pot with a lid.  Add about 1/2 cup hot water to the bottom of the pan so that the peppers can steam, cover, and cook over medium-low for about 20 minutes.  Check the doneness of the pepper with a knife or fork and allow to cook longer if you want more tender peppers.