4 medium-size green peppers
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup tomato sauce or tomato soup
1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried or 1/2 teaspoon fresh basil (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups ground beef, cooked
2/3 cup packaged, precooked rice

Cut stem ends from peppers and remove seeds. Cook 4 minutes in boiling, salted water.

Remove from water and put in baking dish, cut side up. Melt butter in saucepan. Add onion, minced garlic and basil; cook until tender (3-4 minutes) without browning garlic.

Blend in flour. Add 1 1/2 cups water (or beef broth) and tomato sauce or soup and stir constantly.

Cook and stir until mixture simmers. Mix 1 1/2 cups of this mixture with salt and other seasonings, meat and rice. (If you have any peppers left that you want to use, you can chop them up and add them to the meat or the gravy).

Stuff peppers with mixture and pour remaining gravy around peppers in casserole.

Cover and bake for 20 minutes in preheated 400°F oven. Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes.

Serves 4.