Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. Mexican Chorizo
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 15 oz. can black beans
• 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 oz. Monterey jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 3 large bell peppers

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF. Put the chorizo in a skillet and cook it over medium heat, breaking it up as it browns, until it is cooked through. Take the pan off the heat.
2. Drain and rinse the black beans, then stir them into the skillet with the diced tomatoes and their juices, the cooked rice, chili powder, and salt. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
3. Stir half of the cheese and half of the green onion into the chorizo filling.
4. Cut the bell peppers in half. Gently trim away the white ribs and seed sections, but leave the stems in place so the filling stays put. Spoon the chorizo and rice filling into the peppers, pressing it into the little corners and letting it heap over the top. Set each filled pepper into a casserole dish as you go.
5. When every pepper is filled, pour about 1/2 inch of water into the casserole dish so the peppers can soften as they bake. Seal the dish well with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, take off the foil and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the peppers. Return the dish to the oven for another 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbling around the edges. Scatter the remaining sliced green onion over the peppers right before serving.