Slow-Cooker Stuffed Peppers

Classic beef- and rice-stuffed peppers are now easier to make than ever with some help from your slow cooker.

Ingredients

6

large bell peppers 

1 1/2

lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef 

2

teaspoons olive oil

1/4

cup finely chopped onion 

2

cloves finely chopped garlic

1 1/2

cups cooked white rice

1

teaspoon kosher salt

1/4

teaspoon black pepper

1

can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 1/4

cups shredded Cheddar cheese (5 oz)

Directions

• 1 Trim tops off bell peppers; remove ribs and seeds. Set aside.
• 2 Place beef in large bowl; set aside.
• 3 In 6-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add chopped onion. Cook until onion softens, stirring every few minutes. Add garlic; cook 60 seconds. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.
• 4 Add rice, salt and pepper to beef. Add cooked onion and garlic; mix to combine. Stuff peppers with beef mixture; arrange in slow cooker. Pour tomato sauce over peppers.
• 5 Cook on Low heat setting 6 hours; last 30 minutes of cooking, top peppers with cheese.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Get the taste of stuffed peppers without the fuss by making this easy casserole.

Ingredients

1

lb extra-lean (at least 90%) ground beef 

1/2

cup diced yellow onion 

3

cloves garlic, finely chopped

2

cups diced bell peppers 

1/2

teaspoon salt

1/4

teaspoon pepper

1

can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen diced tomatoes, undrained

2

cups Progresso beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

1

can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1

tablespoon soy sauce

1

teaspoon Italian seasoning

1

cup uncooked white basmati rice

1 1/2

cups shredded Cheddar cheese, or Cheddar blend (6 oz)

Directions

• 1 In 4-quart saucepan, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, breaking into small pieces as beef browns.
• 2 Add bell peppers, salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes longer or until peppers have started to soften. (If you didn't use extra-lean beef, drain off some of the fat at this point.)
• 3 Reduce heat to medium; add tomatoes, broth, tomato sauce, soy sauce and Italian seasoning. Stir until well combined. Heat to boiling.
• 4 Add uncooked rice. Return to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
• 5 Remove from heat; sprinkle with shredded cheese.