Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed green peppers are a great "make ahead and freeze" meal. So one day I had some leftover beans, corn and some yellow peppers in the fridge and decided to take a Southwest spin on the old fave. . .YUMMY! UPDATE: I made these using some leftover cooked chicken breast (cut in a dice) and they were even better than with the ground turkey!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 peppers

Ingredients

• 1 (6 ounce) package Spanish rice mix (it's in an envelope and I buy the Walmart version, but Lipton has a version)
• 1⁄2 lb ground turkey
• 2  green onions, chopped
• 1  teaspoon minced garlic clove
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1⁄2 cup tomatoes, diced (use fresh or canned petite diced)
• 1⁄2 cup black beans, drained (have subbed kidney beans with great results)
• 1⁄2 cup corn (canned or frozen)
• 1⁄4 cup chunky salsa, strained (for heat. . .I like Harry & David Black Bean Chipotle Salsa, Medium)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4  bell peppers (yellow, orange or red)
• 1⁄2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or Mexican blend)

Directions

1. Cook the rice as per the package (takes about 15 minutes).
2. In the meanwhile, brown the meat with the green onions and garlic.
3. While those two are cooking, wash and cut your peppers. I take a knife straight up and down and go around the stem on the top. Be very careful while taking out the seeds and white ribs, as they frequently break (but that's OK if they do. . .not as pretty, but will still taste good).
4. Place the peppers, standing up, in a pan. I usually cook 2 and freeze 2 for later. I like to put the ones I am going to cook in a loaf pan, as it helps them stand up.
5. Once the rice is done and has set for the suggested amt of time (it will thicken), add the meat, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, beans, corn, salsa, cumin (and any other spices you'd like). Stir it all together really well.
6. Taste it. . .you might need more spices or more "heat". Distribute the rice into the 4 peppers and put any extra rice around the peppers to help them stand up.
7. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar/Mexican blend cheese over the peppers. Bake covered for 45 minutes on 350 degrees. Then uncover and bake 15 more minutes.