Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Cut the tops off the 4 red peppers. Remove seeds and membranes from inside the peppers. Dice any salvageable pepper from the cut tops and set the diced pepper aside.
• Carefully lower the hollowed peppers into the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a strainer and run under cool water until they reach room temperature; set aside in a dish to dry.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced yellow onion and the reserved diced red pepper tops and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 pound ground beef and 2 teaspoons diced garlic to the skillet. Break the beef apart and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, until the beef is fully cooked and no pink remains.
• Add 1/2 cup of the 1 cup pasta sauce and 2 tablespoons water to the skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced slightly.
• Meanwhile, prepare the fresh mozzarella log: slice some pieces to use as toppings and dice some for mixing into the filling.
• Stir the diced mozzarella into the beef mixture, then remove the skillet from the heat.
• Pour the remaining 1/2 cup pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9x9-inch oven-safe casserole dish and spread it evenly.
• Set the cooled red peppers upright in the casserole dish. Fill each pepper with the beef-and-mozzarella mixture, packing the filling gently.
• Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the dish (the remaining 1/2 cup) evenly over the filled peppers. Top each pepper with the sliced mozzarella pieces prepared for topping.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, until the mozzarella on top is completely melted and beginning to bubble.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle the diced green onion (whites removed) over the baked peppers before serving.