Charleston Red Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium onions, diced fine
1 bell pepper, diced fine
2 teaspoons salt
2 -3 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 lb bacon, fried and grease held aside
1 lb smoked beef sausage
3 cups water
2 cups raw long grain rice
2 tablespoons black pepper

Preparation

Fry bacon and remove from the pan:
Saute'onions and peppers in the bacon grease;.
Add tomato paste water salt sugar and pepper.
Cook uncovered slowly about 5 minutes and then add the rice another 5 minutes until mixture is bubbly then pour into the top section of a rice steamer or you can use a very large Pyrex dish.
Pour mixture in and add the sausage and crumble up the bacon and mix into the rice mixture.
Cover and bake for 35- 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees or steam in steamer.
I bake it now days but the family recipe says to steam it.