Stuffed Mexican Pizza Pie

My mom gave me a new cookbook for Easter, and I found this recipe inside! It was easy, yummy, and a perfect weeknight meal! I ended up halving the recipe...so I used a smaller pan than indicated in the recipe.


Ingredients:

1lb ground beef (I used ground chuck)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups of instant rice
2 cans of Mexican-Style stewed tomatoes
2/3 cup of water
2 cups of shredded cheese (I had cheddar on hand)
1 container (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough  ( I used Pillsbury ready made pie crusts)

Directions:
Heat oven to 425. Spray 13x9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat over high heat until hot. Add beef, onion, bell pepper; Cook and stir until meat is no longer pink.

Add rice, stewed tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil. Pour beef mixture into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle 1 1/4 cups of cheese and stir until blended.

Unroll pizza crust dough on work surface. Place dough in one even layer over mixture in baking pan. Cut 6-8 slits in dough with sharp knife. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Sprinkle top of crust with remaining 3/4 cup cheese; continue baking 4 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is deep golden brown.

Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.