Italian Stuffed Peppers

April 17, 2020

Servings: 4-6

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 25 min

Total: 40 min

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An Italian twist on stuffed peppers that is tempting and tasty! Gluten-free and Keto so without any of the guilt.

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 lb ground meat, chef's choice
• 1 small carton of cremini or baby portabella mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 TBSP tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 colored bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
• 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 10 oz container grape or cherry tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese grated and fresh flat parsley for garnish

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place tomatoes in a 9×13 pan and drizzle with ½ tablespoon olive oil. Salt and pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.
• Step 2 Cook the whole peppers, uncovered in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain and cool. Season insides of the peppers lightly with salt. Set aside.
• Step 3 Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the ground meat and continue sautéing until ground meat is cooked through. Stir in Italian seasoning and tomato paste, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Step 4 In a large mixing bowl, combine spinach with ricotta and Parmesan. Stuff meat filling into peppers, dividing equally. Top each pepper with cheese mixture. Sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and arrange in the pan with the tomatoes.
• Step 5 Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Garnish with more Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Serve solo or over a green salad.

This recipe is a reinvention of one I did awhile back. I’ve been really into these all-in-one dinners lately (hence my Shepard’s Pie Cups from earlier this week and Loaded Sweet Potatoes); stuffed peppers are another great vessel to cook a full meal in and as long as you have the peppers, you can do this recipe with almost anything you have on hand. The essential ingredients are the ground meat filling (chicken, turkey, or beef) and the spinach + cheese topping (ideally with ricotta). The cherry tomatoes are optional but also are a huge value add to this dish, if you have them on hand. Just think of this recipe like a stuffed ravioli or manicotti, without the carbs!

The peppers may take a bit of prep, but you can make several at once. If you want to make them ahead, you can prep everything and then just save the oven step for when you’re actually ready to eat them. They are such a great lunch or dinner ready to go at a moment’s notice because they hold beautifully. So you can just keep them in the fridge, ready and waiting to go.

A lot of you have messaged me the past few days that you are stressed about running out of food and don’t know what to do with what you do have. Take even this recipe for example. You might look at this and dismiss it thinking you don’t have the “right” ingredients to make this. But it’s so easy to modify – if you don’t have bell peppers, you can make this in another vegetable (a la zucchini boats!), or in individual ramekins or even as a casserole in one glass dish. If you don’t have ground beef, use chicken, turkey, or ask me for other suggestions. If you don’t have ricotta – whip the spinach with cream cheese, or just top with mozzarella! I’m always here and I have so many tricks up my sleeve so don’t hesitate to ask! It may seem daunting but there are so many creative ways to use what you do have and I’m here to help! So message me directly, or comment below! And don’t forget to post what you do create on social media and tag us too! @awholesomenewworld

Chicken Eggplant Parm Stuffed Peppers

June 14, 2018

Servings: 4-6

Prep: 20 min

Cook: 10 min

Total: 30 min

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A colorful year-round dish that will please the whole family, even the pickiest of eaters!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 6 bell peppers of any color (or multicolor!)
• Half a vidalia onion, diced
• 1/2 c chopped carrots
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 TBSP + 1/4 cup oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1 small graffiti eggplant, sliced in rounds
• 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cubed, a few TBSPs grated

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the tops of peppers and discard inner seeds + membranes. Set aside the tops for serving later. Cook the whole peppers, uncovered in boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain and cool. Season insides of the peppers lightly with salt.
• Step 2 Season ground chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions and sauté them until translucent. Add the carrots & garlic to the heated pan, along with the ground chicken. Cook until the chicken is completely browned throughout. We like to let ours crisp up a bit, so I would recommend stirring minimally. While the chicken cooks, you can prep the eggplant.
• Step 3 Dip the eggplant rounds in egg, then dredge in breadcrumbs. Coat another skillet completely with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Add eggplant and fry until golden brown over medium-high heat, 3 min per side. Remove to cool, then dice up the fried eggplant.
• Step 4 Back to the chicken. Once browned, make a well in the center of the pan. Add the paste and allow to thicken. If you find the mixture isn’t moist, you can add up to 1/4 cup water. Remove from the heat.
• Step 5 Now stuff your peppers. Layer cheese on the bottom, then add a layer of diced eggplant. Add the ground chicken, cheese and eggplant, alternating layers. Top each pepper with one last layer of grated mozzarella. Place peppers in a glass baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Serve warm, with the pepper tops if so desired.

I need to make a mental note that stuffed peppers are THE go-to for a fun and simple weeknight dinner.  Earlier this year we made a Shepard’s Pie version with ground beef and cauliflower mash topping and I’ve really been meaning to make them again.  This time around, Marc had the great inspiration to mix it up this time and try a “parm” version – but since we couldn’t decide between Chicken or Eggplant Parm, we married them both!

Crispy Ground Chicken:

Fried Eggplant:

Better Together!

At the outset it may seem like a lot of little steps, but I can vouch for the fact that start to finish this meal took only 30 minutes.  While the chicken is cooking up on the stove, you can prep the other ingredients.  And once you fill the peppers, you just have to pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese since everything else is already cooked.

This is such a fun colorful meal, which makes it a real kid-pleaser too.  It’s an easy way to get kids to eat their veggies and you can always hide ingredients inside so they’re less likely to find them, or push back. (Sneaky, I know!) Check out the cross-section, below.  For all the busy mamas out there, I hope this meal is as much of a game-changer for you as it was for us.  And check back for more variations to come!