Casserole with rice and peppers

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g brown rice
• 2 red bell peppers
• 250 g mushrooms
• 1 vegetable onion(s)
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 500 g tomatoes
• 3 tsp thyme, freshly picked
• 200 g crème fraîche (crème légère), 15% fat
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• Paprika powder, hot
• 1 tsp herbal salt
• 100 g cheese, mild, grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

Juicy casserole without meat

Boil the rice in 500 ml of salted water for 30 minutes, then let it stand for about 20 minutes (you can also do this the day before). Mix the crème légère with herb salt, sweet paprika, hot paprika and enough water (about 25 ml) to make a thick sauce. Clean and slice the mushrooms. Wash the peppers, remove the stems, quarter them, deseed them and cut them into strips along the narrow side. Peel the garlic, halve them lengthwise and cut into thin slices. Peel the onion, halve them and cut them into thin half rings. Heat olive oil in a pan and lightly fry the onions over moderate heat, stirring frequently. After five minutes, add the mushrooms and continue to fry while stirring. After another five minutes, add the pepper strips and garlic and fry for another five minutes while stirring. Season with salt and paprika to taste. Pluck the thyme from the stems, add to the rice along with the cooked vegetables, and mix well. Wash the tomatoes, halve them, cut out the stems in wedges, and slice them thinly. Grease a baking dish and pour in half of the vegetable and rice mixture. Cover with half of the tomato slices, spread half of the sauce on top, and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Layer the remaining ingredients again in the same order. Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is light brown. You can, of course, use crème fraîche or sour cream instead of crème légère. I like to use Gouda, but you can try any other cheese you like. Thinly sliced ​​mozzarella also tastes good in the casserole.