Stuffed . . . with Peppers!

(Leftover peppers ---- forgot to take the picture earlier! And the thin sauce hasn't been poured in yet!)

Today's main meal is stuffed peppers - a favorite dish in these parts, but one I don't make too often.  I don't really follow a recipe, but here's what I did today.

1 1/4 lbs hamburg
1 cup diced onion
1 TBS dried oregano
4 minced cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp "Tsardust"  (a spice blend from Penzey's.com)
1 cup cooked jasmine rice (leftover from Friday)
1 large can diced tomatoes****
4 large Bell peppers, tops sliced off and cored

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray Pam or other cooking spray on sides and bottom of a baking dish.  I use a vintage Corning square casserole (the one with the blue flower).
Combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes.  (I use my hands for this.)  Pour a small amount of the tomatoes**** into the bottom of the casserole, and then fit the peppers in the dish.  Stuff each pepper with meat and rice mixture and top with the pepper top.  If there's any leftover meat mixture, just add to casserole along the sides.  Add the rest of the can of tomatoes.****  Bake for about 90 minutes,covered or until a meat thermometer registers at least 165°F when inserted into the middle of the largest pepper.  Serves 4-6, depending on size of peppers and appetites.

****All I had on hand was the big size can of diced tomatoes.  I sometimes use a small can and about 1/2 a jar of spaghetti sauce.  If I'd realized how thin( but tasty!) the sauce would end up, I would have mixed the tomatoes with a can of tomato paste.