stuffed pepper casserole

Dinner

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

You won’t be stuffing any peppers for this stuffed pepper casserole, but you will be enjoying the sweet and smoky combination of flavors coming from bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika and ground beef. You can use precooked rice from the package or leftover brown rice if you have it. If using leftover rice, you will need about 1½ cups.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 medium multicolored bell peppers, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 (8.8-ounce) package cooked brown rice
½ cup unsalted beef broth
1 cup shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add beef; cook, stirring often and using the back of a spoon to break it up, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and stir in tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens in color, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in drained tomatoes, rice and broth.
Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; cover with foil. Bake until the rice is tender and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and beginning to bubble, about 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley, if desired.