I started with a red bell pepper which I diced small…
along with two large white onions which I cut into slices. I sauteed both of these in a large skillet until the onions began to soften, then added a pound of ground grass fed beef sausage (from Sun Prairie, I think?). The original recipe calls for ground beef, but I figured the sausage would add some kick.
After the meat is all browned, I added two small cans of diced tomatoes, a generous spoonful of chili powder, a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander (I don’t know why, but whenever I use cumin, I add coriander), and a half of a cup of uncooked rice, then poured it all into a lightly greased baking dish. I know…it doesn’t really look very appealing, does it?

I baked the whole thing for about 45 minutes, covered, and removed the cover for another 15 minutes. The rice on the top stays a little undercooked and crunchy, but the aroma and the taste totally transported me to my childhood in Indiana. I’ll try to move on to more “sophisticated” fare after this, I promise!