The cooking time for brown rice is 22 minutes, which is too long for the peppers. Instead of cooking the rice with the meat, I’d recommend cooking the rice first, then stirring in cooked brown rice at the before adding the cheese. Then just let it sit, covered, to allow the rice to absorb the flavors.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e(If I want to make the casserole ahead of time, I'll often stir in the brown rice, cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until I'm ready to finish the dish. )