Stuffed Jack o' Peppers

I saw an idea last week and immediately knew I had to try it. It involved Halloween and a dinner idea we hadn't had for a while: stuffed peppers. Ken grew up eating stuffed peppers. Apparently his mother made them quite often. I don't think I had even tried them before I made some for Ken about two years ago.

I think they turned out rather well and Frances and Henry loved them!

You will need

• 5 orange bell peppers
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 cups of cooked rice
• 2 cups jarred spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 cup of shredded cheese (your choice)

Directions

• Brown ground beef with onion and garlic until the beef is cooked through. Stir in the rice and about half the spaghetti sauce, and keep warm on the stove. 

• Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers and remove the tops by slicing straight across. Set tops aside. Clean out the insides and carve the faces. You can be as detailed as you'd like. Toss the pieces you remove into the ground beef mixture on the stove.

• Set your peppers in a baking dish that will hold them upright.  Spoon ground beef mixture into each pepper. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce. Put lids back on the peppers and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

• When the timer beeps, remove the tops, sprinkle cheese over the peppers, and put it back in the oven until the cheese melts.

• Place top back on and serve for dinner!