Excellent as a Main or Side Dish

4 - 6 lg Bell or Poblano peppers 
1 box mexican rice (we prefer Zataraine's)
1 lb ground beef (or other ground meat)
1 med onion, finely chopped
1/4 c celery, finely chopped
1-2 chile peppers, seeded and chopped, select type for desired heat
1 c cottage cheese
1/2 c Ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp fresh chopped oregano 
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 carrots, finely grated
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1 -2 tomatoes, chopped
1 c spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Core peppers, removing seeds. Alternately, you may cut peppers into halves vertically and lay on sides to stuff and bake. This works best with poblanos or if bell peppers do not stand well on their own.

In a large skillet saute burger, celery, onion, hot peppers, salt, pepper and carrots in 2 Tbsp of butter. Cook just until meat is nicely browned and vegetables just begin to soften. Remove from heat.

In a separate skillet, cook rice according to directions. When rice is cooked, remove from heat.

In a large bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta, Parmesan and tomatoes. Mix well. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Add enough spaghetti sauce to make moist. Fill peppers with mixture. Stand stuffed peppers in a baking dish (or lay halves on sides). Cover with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften. Remove from oven. Let rest for 5 minutes prior to serving. Serves 4-6 people.