Tasty Tuesday--Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers were always a favorite of mine growing up, and my mom made the best.

This is a Mexican take on the yummy dish, and you know how much I love Mexican food. I saw the recipe in my Real Simple magazine, which is also my favorite. I get ridiculously happy when there's a new one in my mailbox! 

As usual, I only made a few small changes.

1 cup long grain white
 rice

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated 

1 pound ground beef

1 cup frozen corn

1 can Rotel

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

kosher salt and black pepper

4 large bell pepper, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed

*optional: 1/2 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt

Salsa, for serving

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to package directions.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites and beef and cook, breaking the beef up with a spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, Rotel, cumin, cooked rice, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

3. Arrange the bell peppers, cut-side up, in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Divide the beef mixture among the bell peppers, add 1/2 cup water to the dish. Tightly cover the dish with foil, and bake until the bell peppers are soft, 30-40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Monterey Jack cheese, and bake until browned, 5-7 minutes more.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and 1/4 cup water. Drizzle over the bell peppers and top with the salsa and scallion greens.