Unstuffed Pepper bake

Couple things. Casseroles. Some people hate them. Some love them but most are pretty unhealthy or super high carb. But seriously, I like the convenience that casseroles can be eaten from at least for one dinner and a couple lunches. 

Peppers. Most kids don't care for them. My kids love them raw but don't like them cooked. They for sure wouldn't be excited about eating a whole stuffed pepper for dinner, so here's a recipe to try. Even though my kids aren't huge fans of cooked peppers, they still ate this (but I should say I'm kind of mean in the getting my kids to eat veggies department). 

This is an unstuffed pepper bake. I just chopped up everything that would be in a stuffed pepper and served as a casserole. I used cauli-rice for almost all the rice and topped w a little cheese. You could use all rice if that's more your speed. 

2# ground beef, browned and strained (I used 96/4) 
1 Tbs chili powder
S&P
6 bell peppers, multi colored chopped up
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 cups cauli-rice or bits
2 garlic cloves, minced  or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup brown rice (you can buy frozen to make easier)
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup corn, drained or use frozen
Mexican cheese, just enough to top, maybe 2 cups

Brown the beef, season w chili powder, salt and pepper to taste, and remove to a large bowl. In a large pot sauté the peppers and onion about 5-7 minutes until soft over medium heat. Stir in the cauli-rice and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring often. If you find there's a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pot, just strain and continue. Salt and pepper to taste again. Dump in all the other ingredients(not the cheese), including beef, and stir to combine. 
Dump in a 9x13, top w cheese and bake 30 min at 350. 

Let me know what you think. Did your kids like this? Here's what mine looked like. Taken with my fancy iPhone 6 :)