Spanish Rice Stuffed Tri-Color Peppers

When Father's Day rolled around this year, I knew I wanted to make my Dad a healthy, hearty lunch.  We had a huge bag of Costco Multicolor-Mini peppers that he bought a couple days earlier and I knew that somehow my recipe should incorporate them.  So in an effort not to let any peppers go waste, I went searching the internet for a good vegetarian stuffed peppers dish. Surprisingly, there was nothing that really appetizing so I decided make up my own! Let me know what you think :)

I kept gushing of how pretty the peppers looked on the baking sheet. So of course I took a picture. And let's not forget about the pop of color the corn provided to the saucy, red, Spanish rice. 

Spanish Rice Stuffed Tri-Color Peppers

4 regular bell peppers, or 10-15 mini tri-color peppers
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1 Tablespoon lime juice
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tsp. Hot Sauce (optional)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper 

1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut off the tops of peppers and remove the seeds and ribs. Place the hollowed out halves of peppers on baking sheet. If the peppers topple over, cut a a slice off the bottom of the pepper so the peppers stay upright.  Once the oven is preheated, bake the peppers for approximately 5 minutes to soften the skin. 

2. In a medium size sauce-pan heat up oil. Then add cooked rice, tomatoes, beans, corn, and all seasonings. If the rice is too dry, add half a cup of water so the rice doesn't dry out. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to your liking. 

3. Take the peppers from the oven and stuff with Spanish rice. (Be careful if the pan is hot!) Place stuffed peppers back in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes until peppers are fully cooked through. Top the peppers with parmesan cheese and bake until cheese is bubbly.