Cheesy Topped Stuffed Peppers

Instructions

1. Add the ground beef, onion and garlic to a pan oven a medium-high heat and cook until lightly browned.
2. Add the paprika, cumin, onion powder, dried oregano, parsley and basil and stir to coat.
3. Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, splash of Worcestershire sauce and rice. Stir to combine, ensuring you scrape anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add in the stock, bring to a boil, cover, then simmer (liquid should still slightly bubble), when stock is just absorbed (should take approx 10 minutes). Turn off heat, but leave with the lid on for an additional 12 minutes. The steam trapped underneath will continue to cook the rice to perfection.
5. While this is cooking, slice all the peppers in half, so you have 10 pepper boats and scoop out all seeds or white flesh parts and discard.
6. Preheat oven to 200c/FAN 180c/400f or gas mark 6
7. Place them all skin side down in a large baking dish or tray.
8. Spray over the top of the peppers with the olive oil cooking spray and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
9. Once beef and rice mixture is cooked, taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
10. Spoon the beef and rice mixture into the pepper boats.
11. Spoon the passata onto the top (this helps keep them moist).
12. Top with the grated cheese and then loosely cover with some foil (watch you don’t press the foil down onto the peppers or the cheese will stick).
13. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and place back in the oven and bake until cheese is all melted and golden (another 15 minutes approximately).
14. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.