Stuffed Bell Pepper with Thyme

• 3 large bell peppers; remove stem and seeds
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 oz sweet corn (use canned if fresh is not available)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 cups long-grain cooked rice
• 1 cups tomato juice
• shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Soften the peppers by either: 1) steaming them on a wire rack above water for 10 to 15 minutes, or 2) covering them with water and boiling for 3 minutes. Set the softened bell peppers aside.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir and cook ground beef until it is browned. Be sure to separate beef into small pieces while stirring. Add onions and garlic cloves, stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in sweet corn, salt, pepper, thyme, cooked rice and 1/2 cup tomato juice. Mix all ingredients well, then stuff mixture into peppers.

3. Place stuffed bell peppers upright into shallow baking dish and add the remaining tomato juice. Cover with aluminum foil and bake stuffed bell peppers at 350°F for 35 minutes. Remove foil, add cheese topping and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese melts. Spoon the remaining tomato juice from the baking dish over the stuffed bell peppers and serve hot.