Beef-And-Barley-Stuffed Bell Peppers - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup chicken broth
3 large bell peppers, any color, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 lb lean ground beef
1/3 cup sliced green onion, including green part
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cooked pearl barley
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400\u00b0F.
Pour the chicken broth into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, green onions and garlic until beef is browned; drain fat if desired.
Stir in barley, salsa, carrot and cumin; Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well; add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and combine with other ingredients.
Fill the pepper halves with the beef/barley mixture and place in the prepared baking dish.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for one hour; Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the peppers and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Serve with additional salsa and sour cream as topping.
*Note: you can pre-boil the pepper halves for 3 to 5 minutes in salted water and reduce the baking time to 20-25 minutes in a 350F oven.