Stuffed Garden Peppers

We've come to the end of garden season. The last of the tomatoes are hanging unripe on bending, dried plants with shriveled brown leaves and a little over a week ago my son harvested the last of the bell peppers. I had to make one last batch of stuffed peppers with them.

Stuffed peppers are also a great fall food - hearty and warm and one of those classic comfort foods that make the house smell wonderful as they cook.

Sometimes I add a few extra veggies or spices into my mix, but this time I went about as easy I could.

1 pound ground beef

2 cups pasta sauce

1 bag frozen Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice 

Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning (to taste)

Italian seasoning (to taste) 

Parmesan cheese (optional)

6 bell peppers

Add 3/4 of sauce to pan with browned and drained beef. Cook rice in microwave and then add to pan. Add seasonings and simmer for about 20 minutes.

As that simmers, cut off tops of green peppers and dice them finely and add to beef mix in pan. Clean out peppers and boil until slightly soft. Remove from boiling water. Fill each pepper with beef mix and place in a baking dish lined with parchment paper or foil. Top with remaining sauce. Bake for about 30 minutes. If desired, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top after you remove it from oven.