Southwestern Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans and Green Chiles

Ingredients

• 6 large bell peppers
• 1 lb. extra lean ground beef
• 1-2 tsp. olive oil if needed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes and juice
• 1 can diced green chiles with juice
• 1 tsp. Ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 cup + 6 tablespoons grated cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 375 F. Pick a baking dish that holds 6 peppers upright without much extra room, then coat it with non-stick spray or olive oil.
2. In a large frying pan, cook the ground beef until it is thoroughly browned, draining away fat if necessary. Move the beef over to one side of the pan, add a little olive oil if the pan looks dry, and cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, just until it begins to soften.
3. As the beef is cooking, slice a very thin piece from the bottom of each pepper so it can sit flat. Remove the stem end, then take out the seeds.
4. Chop the pepper tops and cook them in a pan with a little olive oil until they are just beginning to soften. You can use another pan, or transfer the beef and onions to a bowl and use the same pan.
5. Add the cooked beef, sauteed onions, chopped peppers, rinsed black beans, tomatoes with their juice, green chiles with their juice, chile powder, and cumin to the frying pan. Lower the heat and let the mixture bubble gently over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until most of the moisture is gone and the pan looks dry.
6. Take the pan off the heat and cool the filling for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and 1 cup of cheese.
7. Fill the peppers with the meat and rice mixture, pressing it in so each pepper is packed firmly. Set the peppers in the prepared baking dish and cover the dish with foil.
8. Bake for 30 minutes. Take off the foil, sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of grated cheese, and return the dish to the oven for 10-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and begun to brown and the pepper skin is easy to pierce with a fork.
9. Serve immediately.