Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Brown Rice, Mushrooms, and Feta

Ingredients

• 6 fresh bell peppers, any color
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 12 oz. mushrooms, chopped small
• 2 tsp. Greek Seasoning
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 1/4 cups crumbled Feta cheese

Directions

1. Cook 2 cups brown rice according to the instructions on the package. Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice works well in a Zojirushi Rice Cooker (affiliate link), and if you cook the maximum amount your rice cooker allows, you can freeze the extra brown rice for another day.
2. Heat the oven to 375F/190C. Pick the tightest baking dish you have that will fit all 6 peppers upright, then coat it with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil.
3. Trim a very thin slice from the bottom of each pepper, taking off only enough to help it sit flat. If you end up with a little opening at the bottom, that’s fine.
4. Cut the tops from the peppers, removing just enough to get rid of the stem section. Pull out the seeds and membranes, then arrange the peppers standing up in the prepared dish.
5. Chop the trimmed pepper tops and bottoms finely, and chop the onion the same way. Rinse the mushrooms if they need it, then cut them into small pieces that are just a bit larger than the pepper and onion pieces.
6. Warm 2 tsp. of oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onion and chopped pepper, then cook over medium-high heat until they just begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
7. Transfer the onion and pepper mixture to a plate. Add 1 tsp. more oil to the pan, stir in the mushrooms, and cook until they give off their moisture, the liquid cooks away, and the mushrooms just start to brown, about 6 minutes.
8. Return the cooked onions and peppers to the pan with the mushrooms. Add the Greek Seasoning and black pepper to taste, then cook for 1 minute more. Mix in the cooked rice, then add 1 cup of the crumbled Feta and stir gently to bring the filling together.
9. Working with one pepper at a time, hold it over the frying pan and spoon in the filling, pressing it down firmly so each pepper is well packed. If there happens to be extra filling, bake it with the peppers in the same dish or in a small casserole dish.
10. Once the peppers are filled, cover the baking dish with foil, or use a lid if your dish has one, and bake for 30 minutes.
11. After 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven and uncover it. Sprinkle 2 tsp. crumbled Feta over the top of each pepper, pressing gently if you need to help it stay put.
12. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes more, until the Feta is beginning to soften and brown lightly and the peppers are cooked the way you like them. Serve hot.