All In One Dinner

The vague title had me intrigued. The ingredients were all things I had or could obtain fairly cheaply from the grocery store. And it sounded fairly simple to put together and cook up in the oven. I gave it a shot and the reviews were good. My family likes it. My husband said it reminded him of what you might use to stuff peppers or make stuffed cabbage. It's got a lot of substance and a lot of wonderful flavors.

Ingredients:
1 10-oz. box frozen, chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 green pepper
1 onion
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup grated gluten-free Parmesan Cheese
3/4 tsp. gluten-free chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400-F.
2. Squeeze the spinach dry. Place it in a large bowl.
3. Chop the green pepper and onion into small pieces. Add them to the bowl.
4. Sprinkle ground beef into the bowl (raw).
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, rice, cheese, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and water. Stir well to blend, breaking up meat and spinach with the edge of a spoon.
6. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish (I used an 11x7 oblong) with non-stick spray or lightly grease with olive oil. Place the mixture in the casserole dish. Pack it down lightly, and smooth the surface.
7. Cover the casserole with an oven-safe lid or foil. Bake for 1 1/4 hours (temp should be at least 165-F).

**This recipe is from the "Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults" by Connie Sarros. This cook book is a wonderful addition to my kitchen. Lots of simple recipes that use ingredients that most of us keep around the house, rather than lots of unusual or expensive ingredients and complicated assembly.