Meaty Stuffed Shells

The first time I made this was when I was living with Rachel & Mark just after they got married. They got this recipe with a gift for their wedding (do you remember that, Rachey?). Well, I cooked it for them and the recipe has stuck in my head all these years and I've made it several times. Personally, I love the stuff - and it's one of Jason's favorite meals.

(Please excuse the messy picture. Jason plated for me and the picture was an afterthought - I was just excited to dig in!)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 green pepper
1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese (or more if you like it super cheesy *yum*)
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1 box manicotti shells

Directions:

Cook shells as directed on package. Brown the hamburger and drain. Dice the green pepper and Mozzarella cheese (yes, I said dice the cheese - not shred) and combine in a large bowl with the hamburger. Using a spoon, fill the shells with the meat/pepper/cheese mixture. Spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan. Line the stuffed shells up in the pan. Cover shells with the remaining sauce. I usually have meat mixture left over so I just dump that on top too. Cover with cheese and cook at 350 until heated thru (about 15-20 minutes).