Pimiento Relleno

Ingredients

Contains: milk (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)

• 4 bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sofrito
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the tops off the bell peppers, remove the seeds and membranes, then boil the peppers in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and sofrito and cook for 1 minute more.

3. Add the ground beef, salt, cumin, oregano and black pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat, for about 6 minutes until browned and it reaches 160°F (71°C) inside.

4. Stir in the tomato sauce and capers and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked white rice and remove the skillet from the heat.

5. Stand the peppers upright in a baking dish and spoon the beef and rice filling into each one, packing it in gently.

6. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the tops, and bake 5 minutes more until the cheese melts and the peppers are tender.