Italian Stuffed Red Peppers

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SERVINGS: 4 | DIFFICULTY: Easy

COST
$13.94 per recipe
$4.33 per serving

NUTRITION
Calories 473.2g
Fat 27g
Protein 39.2g
Net Carbs 14.47g

HEALTH BENEFITS
Bell peppers are among the best vitamin C sources available. One medium-sized red bell pepper provides 169% of recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is one of the biggest immune boosters. Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions, helping our body deal with external threats like viruses. Vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate, and potassium are among some of the other vitamins and minerals found in peppers.

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FANCY WITHOUT THE FUSS

A colorful baking dish of stuffed peppers feels fancy, looks appetizing, and is a filling, heartwarming comfort food. Some people might even think you spent a lot of time preparing this dish. But that’s the best part. It’s fancy and fun without the fuss.

Anytime I suggest stuffed peppers for dinner to my husband he replies with a quick YES! It just feels like a special meal and one he knows he’ll be full and satisfied on. I love recipes like this during the fall and winter season because its a comfort food rich in immune boosting nutrients like vitamin C. You will get over 169% of your daily vitamin C intake with this recipe! Just what we need as the weather turns and our immune health needs extra support to fight off external threats like viruses. These stuffed peppers are a simple to prepare meal for special occasions like a birthday or to make ahead for the week. They are even freezer-friendly too!

The dish comes together quickly in a cast iron skillet using ground meat of your choice, pantry staples like onions, peppers, seasoning, cauliflower rice in your freezer, and fresh preferably large colorful red, orange, or yellow peppers. You can often find variety packs in the store. But know peppers are included in the dirty dozen list so it is best to purchase organic when possible. Download our dirty dozen, clean fifteen produce pdf here for future reference.

SIMPLE AS 1-2-3

1. Prep and chop: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly coat 9x13-inch backing dish with avocado or olive oil spray. Dice onions and mince garlic. Wash and slice each pepper in half from top to bottom (keeping or removing the stem). Remove the seeds and membranes and arrange cut side up in baking dish.

2. Saute filling in skillet: We recommend using a cast iron skillet but any other non-toxic skillet works too. Heat skillet to medium heat, adding 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Making sure not to heat the oil at a high enough heat where it begins to smoke. Cook the diced onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute. Then add the ground meat of your choice, breaking it up into smaller pieces until fully cooked through. Next add in the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid), 1 Tbsp coconut aminos, seasoning. Stir to combine. Next up the cauliflower rice! You can use from frozen or blend your own cauliflower florets in food processor until in rice sized pieces. But we love how easy using cauliflower rice can be especially since this recipe only calls for 1 cup. Let everything simmer together for 15 minutes.

3. Stuff and Bake: Remove the skillet from the heat and add in the grated cheese. Reserve For these Italian stuffed peppers we recommend quality white cheddar cheese and parmesan. After the meat mixture and cheese are well combine and cheese is melted. Stuff each of the prepared peppers already placed in baking dish with a generous mound and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Add a few tablespoons of water in the baking dish barely covering the bottom. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

The sky is the limit with these grain-free stuffed red peppers. We’ve shared an Italian twist on stuffed peppers here but you could easily tailor the recipe for what your family is feeling that week. And if this meal is a hit it could be in constant rotation with these suggested combinations:

1. ITALIAN – ground chicken, turkey, or sausage, onions, garlic, cauliflower rice, parmesan, white cheddar, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning

2. MEXICAN – ground beef or turkey, onions, cauliflower rice, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese

3. PHILLY CHEESESTEAK – ground beef, garlic, onions, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, Provolone cheese

We would love to hear if you’ve tried any of these combos or have created something entirely new!

MAKE IT GRAIN-FREE

These cauliflower rice stuffed peppers are packed with nutrients and don’t compromise on flavor. Traditionally stuffed peppers are filled with rice or another grain. Grains both take an additional step in the food prep process and may not suite everyone’s dietary needs and goals. This is where cauliflower rice or mushrooms come in. Both are great substitute fillers depending on which flavor combo you are going for. By swapping out rice and swapping in cauliflower rice you are cutting down on the prep time, adding more fiber and nutrients from vegetables, and keeping the dish low carb! Frozen cauliflower rice works great in this recipe. Luckily these days cauliflower rice can be found in most grocery stores in the freezer aisle. Buy in bulk at Costco or stock up to add to recipes like this, in your smoothies, or as a base for stir-frys and taco bowls.

MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE

Make one or all dairy-free Italian stuffed red peppers. If one or two people in your household do best without dairy this recipe is easily modified. The nice thing about the steps in making these keto stuffed peppers is that these stuffed peppers can easily be tailored to fit various dietary needs. During the step where we remove the skillet from the heat and add in the cheese, simply take the portion of meat/cauliflower rice stuffing and add to peppers. You could create a cheesy taste to this mixture by adding nutritional yeast. Adjust the amount of cheese you plan to add to the remaining skillet and continue to fill the remaining peppers.

MEAL PREP FOR THE WEEK OR FREEZE FOR LATER

Prep the stuffed peppers ahead of time by completely all of the steps besides baking. Simply cover with baking dish tin-foil and place in the refrigerator for a day or two. This makes for a great recipe to meal prep on a Sunday or Monday and enjoy mid-week when spending timing in the kitchen isn’t possible for a busy family. Just remove the foil and pop right in the oven and bake!

Another option is to prepare the filling in advance, then refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months before using. You could maybe even make a double batch of the stuffing recipe enjoying four stuffed peppers this week and freeze the other batch to enjoy in the coming months!

WHAT TO DO WITH EXTRA FILLING?

You’ll likely have 1-2 cups of extra filling depending on the size of your peppers. So one lucky family member gets to enjoy the leftovers. This mixture is great over zoodles or your favorite sauteed veggies.

Stuffed Peppers, mexican night, Taco Tuesday, Whole 30, keto, paleo

Keto, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

Main Meal

Yield: 4 servings or 8 half peppers

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Stuffed Italian Peppers

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 50 Min

Keto, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free

Ingredients

• 4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb ground chicken or turkey or beef
• 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ white or yellow onion, diced
• ½ tsp Real Salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 -14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
• 1 cup cauliflower rice (from fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese, divided
• ½ cup shredded parmesan
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil or parsley, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with avocado or olive oil spray.
2. Heat skillet on medium heat, then add 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
3. Cook diced onions in the same skillet on medium, cooking until translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute.
5. Then add in ground meat, breaking it up into smaller pieces, until fully cooked through.
6. Add in the diced tomatoes, 1 Tbsp coconut aminos, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
7. Stir in the cauliflower rice, letting everything simmer together for 5 minutes.
8. To prepare the peppers, slice each pepper in half from top to bottom, keeping or removing the stem. Remove the seeds and membranes and arrange cut side up in the baking dish.
9. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the ¾ cup of the grated white cheddar cheese and ½ cup of the parmesan. Mound the filling inside of the peppers, then top with the remaining ¼ cup white cheddar cheese.
10. Add a few tablespoons of water into the baking dish with the peppers, barely covering the bottom. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted.
11. Top with fresh herbs, serve hot, and enjoy!
12. TIP: If you have extra meat and cauliflower rice filling leftover, add to roasted veggies later in the week or top on noodles.

Calories

473

Fat (grams)

27

Fiber (grams)

5.6

Net carbs

14.47

Sugar (grams)

10.6

Protein (grams)

39.2

https://www.risetothrivewellness.com/recipesandmealplans/stuffed-italian-peppers

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