My husband and I both love stuffed bell peppers, but our kids – not so much. They end up eating the “stuffing” and leaving the bell pepper shell. They like the taste of the peppers, just not the idea of eating one whole.

My solution? Just make traditional stuffed peppers into a casserole!

This dish has everything a stuffed pepper is filled with, with the bell peppers chopped up and mixed in. Cover it with cheese and the kids will never know the difference!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3-4 bell peppers, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes (I use fire-roasted)
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• seasonings (I used salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning)

After you brown your meat, dump it into a large mixing bowl. Use same skillet to saute the veggies until they are tender, then dump them in same mixing bowl. Add all other ingredients, saving about 1/2 cup cheese for topping, then mix well.

Pour mixture into a greased 13×9 casserole dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Next, remove foil and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese, and bake another 5-10 minutes (uncovered) until cheese is melted.

Now you have all the flavor of stuffed bell peppers, but without the complaints from your kids!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki