Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Prep peppers

1. Wash and pat dry the bell peppers. Then slice one in half from the stem to the bottom, and scoop out the ribs and seeds from inside both halves. Repeat with remaining peppers. Set aside.

Cook filling

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot or high sided skillet, add the sausage and cook over MED or MED HIGH heat.
2. As the meat cooks, use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break it up into crumbles.
3. Once the sausage is cooked through (about 5-6 minutes), drain in a colander.
4. Add butter to the pot, then add diced onion and cook about 4 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
5. Add garlic and cook another minute or so.
6. Add diced tomatoes, cream cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine, and bring to a high simmer.
7. Cook for about 5 minutes to allow the mixture to thicken up a bit.
8. Stir in cooked rice, making sure everything is combined well. Set aside for a bit.

Prepare to bake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and get out a 9x13" baking dish. Lightly spray the dish with nonstick spray, then set aside.

Assemble

1. Fill the pepper halves with equal amounts of the sausage filling.
2. Top each pepper half with a small handful of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake

1. Add assembled peppers to prepared baking dish.
2. Cover with foil, then bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is bubbly and melted.

Serve

1. Serve hot, with fresh basil or parsley if desired.