Serves 4

• 5 bell peppers, halved, lengthwise, and seeded

• A pinch of salt

For Filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 1 celery stick (about 2-3 tablespoons), finely diced

• 1 medium carrot (¼ cup), finely diced

• ½ cup mushrooms, diced

• 1 tablespoon red cabbage (optional)

• 1 pound (500 grams) ground beef

• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced

• ¾ cup tomatoes, diced

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 can black beans, drained, rinsed, and coarsely mashed

• ¾ cup uncooked basmati or jasmine riced, cooked

• ⅓ cup cheese that melts easily (such as Gouda, Swiss, or cheddar)

For Spice Mixture:

• 1½ teaspoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ½ teaspoon oregano

• ½ teaspoon coriander

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon pepper

For Spice Mixture:

1. Mix all the spices together in a small bowl until well blended. Set aside.

For Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil or a nonstick baking mat. Place the bell pepper halves skin-side down (the opening should be facing up). Sprinkle the inside of each bell pepper halve with a pinch of salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

3. Heat a large pan over medium heat. As the pan is heating up, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and red cabbage until the onions are glassy and the other veggies begin to soften, about 10 minutes.

4. Add the ground beef to the pan and let it brown, breaking it down into smaller pieces as it cooks. When there is only a bit of red left in the meat, add in the spice mixture along with the garlic, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Mix everything together and cook the tomatoes until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

5. Mix in the mashed black beans and allow them to warm and blend with everything else, about 2-3 minutes.

6. Add the rice to the pan and slowly mix it in. Keep mixing until all the rice has has been fully incorporated and you don’t see anymore white from the rice showing. Add the cheese to the pan. Stir it in and let it melt, 1-2 minutes, before removing the pan from the heat.

7. With the bell peppers still on the baking tray you used to initially baked them, use a large spoon to add the meat and rice mixture into each bell pepper half.

   • Add as much as you want, but you can definitely heap the mixture on! All the mixture exposed over top the bell pepper will bake and crisp up in the oven, giving it a deliciously crunchy texture!

8. Bake the bell peppers for 35 minutes, until the tops have crisped up and the bell peppers have softened.

9. Enjoy!