Italian Stuffed Peppers

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