southwestern stuffed peppers

How To Make southwestern stuffed peppers

• 
  1

  Heat oven to 400. Prepare the peppers by cutting off the top and removing the seeds and ribs. I avoid using a fifth pepper by chopping the shoulders of the peppers I am stuffing for the saute (next step). In a skillet, saute the onion and chopped red pepper. Remove to a medium sized bowl. Brown the beef, venison, or mixture of both.
• 
  2

  Add all but a tablespoon of the Fiesta Ranch dressing mix to the meat. Add 1 cup of the tomato sauce to the skillet. Reserve the remaining. Remove to the bowl with the onion and pepper. Mix in 1 cup of cooked brown rice.
• 
  3

  Spray a 9x9 casserole dish and place the peppers in it on their bottom. You may need to slice the bottom to flatten it so they are level, but be careful not to cut through. Fill with the meat mixture. Add the remaining Fiesta Ranch to the reserved tomato sauce and top each pepper with a spoonful. If there is any meat left, stuff it between the peppers. Cover loosely and bake about one hour, remove the covering and bake another 15 minutes or until browning some. Heat any remaining tomato sauce mixture and pour over the top of the peppers when you remove them from the oven.
• 
  4

  For this batch, I added cheese and cilantro to the mix...MMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!!!
• 
  5

  PS...If using poblanos, cut the stem out, seed and de-rib them, then make a slice lengthwise through ONE side, and across about an inch above the bottom, so you can open it to stuff. PSS...I have found that a lot of people won't eat the whole pepper when using bells, so I cap and clean them, then slice them in half lengthwise to make two halves. I then stuff them to overflowing.
• Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
• Printable Recipe Card