Stuffed Bell Peppers - Italian Style

Ingredients

• 6 Bell peppers Cut off top and deseeded
• 1/2 Cup Brown rice Uncooked
• 1 Cup Beef stock
• 1/2 Pound Italian sausage
• 1/2 Pound Lean ground beef
• 1/2 Cup Onion Diced
• 2 Tablespoons Minced garlic
• 1 Can Petite-diced tomatoes
• 8 Oz Tomatoe sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Dried parsley
• 2 Handfulls Fresh spinach Coarsely chopped
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Place beef stock and rice in small saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid, and continue cooking about 30-40 minutes (until the meat sauce is ready to add rice to). As long as the rice is softened and the broth is mostly absorbed, it can be added to the meat mixture, just don’t let the rice burn while preparing the meat sauce.
2. While rice is cooking, in large pan, sauté onions and garlic. Add meats and cook until meat is browned. Add tomatoes and sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and all seasonings. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes, adding the rice in after 15 minutes. Add water and stir occasionally as this cooks to prevent it from drying out.
3. Heat oven to 375 degrees
4. While meat is simmering, place prepared bell peppers in casserole pan sprayed with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave for 10 minutes to soften the peppers.
5. Once peppers are softened, add spinach to the meat sauce and stir well, allowing it to wilt. Fill the peppers with the meat sauce. Pour any extra meat sauce around the bottoms of the peppers.
6. Cover securely with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and top with cheese. Return to the oven and cook about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.