Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

It's not Friday, but I made these for dinner tonight and had to share the recipe with you before I forgot it (I don't do well with writing recipes I create down).  I threw these together with leftovers from the fridge, so feel free to adapt it to fit your leftover usage needs. :)

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

4 Med bell peppers (peppers that stand on their own are helpful)
2 Cups cooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning (or use fresh if you have them)
3/4 c pasta sauce (alternatively you could use broth, soup, cream, etc...)
1 1/4c Italian Cheese Blend, divided
1/4 c panko bread crumbs (or whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
handful of chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Fill a pan with hot water and place it in the oven with a backing rack over it (this is what you'll use to seam the peppers)
3. Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds and membranes.  Cut a bit off the bottom if necessary to make them stand up nicely, but be careful not to have hols in the bottom or your filling and juices will come out.
4. Place peppers on the baking rack in the oven and let them steam for about 10 minutes until they feel like they have softened most of the way.
5.  Meanwhile, cook your rice and combine with the tomatoes, pasta sauce and 1 cup cheese.
6.  In a separate bowl,  combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cheese, chopped parsley and olive oil.  Stir to combine
7.  Remove peppers, baking rack and pan from the oven.  Spray a small pan with a bit pan spray and put the peppers in, and stuff them with the rice mixture and top with breadcrumbs.
8.  Bake for 30 minutes and enjoy!