4medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (6 ounces each), 1/2 inch trimmed off tops, cores and seeds discarded
1/2cuplong-grain white rice
1 1/2tablespoonsolive oil
1medium onion, finely chopped
12ouncesground beef, ground chuck is best
3medium garlic cloves, minced
114.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved
5ouncesMonterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)
2tablespoonschopped fresh parsley leaves
ground black pepper
1/4cupketchup
Instructions
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over high heat. Add salt and bell peppers. Cook 3 minutes, or until peppers just begin to soften. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers from the pot, drain off excess water, and place them cut-side up on paper towels. Return the water to a boil; add rice and boil 13 minutes or until tender. Drain rice and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the rice and stir in tomatoes, 1 cup of cheese, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.Stir the tomato juice and ketchup together in a small bowl.Place the peppers cut-side up in a 9-inch square baking dish. Divide the filling evenly among the peppers. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the ketchup mixture over each filled pepper and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of the remaining cheese. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until cheese is browned and the filling is heated through. Serve immediately.