Easy Recipe: Italian Style Stuffed Peppers
Posted in Easy Recipes, grass-fed meat, make-ahead recipes, paleo recipe | 18 Comments
The inspiration and motivation to make stuffed peppers came about when I was strolling the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this past Saturday and spotted a big yellow bell pepper that looked just perfect for this destiny. I knew I had a pound of grass-fed ground beef defrosted at home so it was excellent timing for me to whip up some stuffed peppers. The whole thing is quite simple, really… it’s just a matter of pre-cooking the pepper halves a bit if you like and then making a tasty mixture that you’ll like to put on the inside, and voila – stuffed peppers. I can’t say I make them exactly the same every single time since I usually just go with whatever I have on-hand, but here’s what I did this time.
Italian Style Stuffed Bell Peppers
Yield: Approximately 4 servings.
Click here for estimated nutrition facts.
2 bell peppers
(or use 1/2c canned diced tomatoes)
hot sauce – optional, as garnish
extra basil leaves garnish
Preheat your oven to 375.
 |
| FYI: The Paleo Diet Cookbook is now available for pre-order. |
Place your bacon grease or coconut oil in the pan and then cook the onions over medium-high heat until they’re slightly browned on the edges and appear cooked through (translucent). You may season them with salt and pepper to taste.
Next add the tomatoes and garlic and allow the ingredients to simmer together for a couple of minutes. Then add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it up and allowing it to cook through completely. If you have grass-fed beef, you may leave it a bit pink.
Once
 |
| Mark Sisson’s cookbook seems to be quite popular if you’re looking for recipes. |
Remove the peppers from the oven when they’re just a bit softened, then flip them over and spoon in your stuffing mixture. If you would like to eat them at this point, you can go right ahead. Otherwise, place them back into the oven for around 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld even more. I like to make a bunch of these ahead and either freeze them or just refrigerate them to heat up in my toaster oven later.
I also like to sprinkle a few dashes of hot sauce over the top and garnish them with basil leaves, just for visual appeal.
Depending on the size of your peppers, this will make approximately 4 pepper halves and will be around 4oz of protein in each one. One or two of these is a complete meal depending on how much you eat.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Paleo Village - Endurance, Tournaments and the PALEO DIET - Carbohydrate, carbs, endurance tournaments and the paleo diet, Food, gluconeogenesis, Glucose, glycogen, grains, HIIT, hiit style training, lowcarbohydrate diet, Nutrition, paleo carbohydrate sou - [...] Recipes – Healthy Diet You Should Eat – Paleo Diet BreakfastPaleo Lobster RecipesEasy Recipe: Italian Style Stuffed Peppers ...
- Thursday January 12, 2012 | CrossFit Riot | Forging Elite Fitness - [...] Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers [...]
I just want to thank you for the information and recipes that you post! This looks delicious and I will be trying it tonight. I shared the link on my Facebook page stating that this would be for dinner. Someone commented that the recipe looked great to but to ditch the coconut oil and bacon grease becasue they are terrible for you and use olive oil instead. I am grateful for your primer on fats as I was able to provide that link in defense of my choice to use coconut oil. Thanks for the great education and the way you have it all broken down!
Can't wait to try the recipe tonight!
@April- Fantastic! That's why I write about these things, to educate people properly on these topics. I was poorly educated for far too long and was hungry and miserable eating what I thought were "healthy" foods that tasted horrible. Let me know how the recipe goes and come join the fun over on Facebook. Suggest the Fan page to that friend, too ;o)
The bell peppers turned out AMAZING! The meat stuffing was so flavorful and delicious. I also added the little bit of hot sauce on top which gave it a nice kick. Thanks!
I'm already a FB fan and I'll be sure to suggest it to others.
Thanks again!
I love your blog and your recipes! In fact, you helped inspire me to start my own SF based paleo food blog: http://www.nomnompaleo.tumblr.com You are the bomb-diggity! Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I am new to the Paleo lifestyle and this recipe was excellent. My 13 year old devoured her meal. Thanks for sharing!
@Dena- AWESOME! I'm so glad! Check out http://www.everydaypaleo.com too- Sarah Fragoso posts recipes that she cooks for her family- she's an awesome chick too!
Diane, just wanted you to know I made these last night for the GF, they turned out fantastic. I love the fact that your recipes are easy to follow and quick, thanks!
@Miles- AWESOME! I love that
I'm happy to post up easy recipes as this is legitimately how I cook pretty much all the time. I only put measurements in that I estimate I used… so if you ever go over or under, don't sweat it.
Thanks for following the blog!
Hey Diane
The peppers sound great can I add chedder or parmesan after they are heated?
Jean
@Jean- It's your world… if you tolerate dairy well, go for it. I'd vote parm vs cheddar for the Italian effect. If you can get RAW parm, even BETTER! They're great though topped with a little avocado for the creamy effect.
Diane – I made these last night for dinner – soo good
This is one of my go-to dinners for weeknights. Love it. Have been dabbling in Paleo recipes more and more.
Awesome receipe and so easy! I love making stuffed peppers! I will be trying your version this weekend! Thank you
I made this recipe yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!
My son is insiting on Paleo and am faithfully trying to accommodate… I am still a new-be here. This Receipe looks wonderful and I will give it a go this evening. Could these peppers be parboiled, stuffed then baked in a tomato and fresh basil sauce? Are spices allowed such as red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds? So it might taste like a hot italian sausage stuffing.
YES, YES, YES, YES, YES!
All of that sounds perfectly awesome. If you need help grasping some of the basics of Paleo, my Paleo eBook may be very useful for you which you can find on this page- http://balancedbites.com/books
You’re an awesome mom for being open-minded to learning from your child. I am finding that to be one of the biggest struggles for younger people in trying to help their parents to get healthier in this way.
My Grandma would have been proud! Peppers were AMAZING! Thank Youuuu. Do you have a quick guide of “do’s & dont’ts” for Paleo? I am having a real (personal) struggle with sweetners in particular…the devil Splenda for my coffee or drinks…I must be addicted
I made this last night – excellent. A great way to make stuffed peppers – its kind of deconstructed, then put back together. Way quicker & healther than the old fashioned way!
If you want more of a sauce, add a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce to the peppers when you start to bake them – but use a larger baking dish, so the sauce gets heated through. This was quick – I had it on the table in 40 minutes (And I took a short break to enjoy a glass of red wine). Definitely use the canned diced tomatoes (mostly drained) – it kind of makes a little sauce. Hot sauce on top was good, along with a sprinkle of parmesan and additional basil. Note for timing: Chop onion while peppers are pre-baking. Add meat to pan, while that’s cooking, chop basil & fresh spinach. I did season the onions with salt & pepper, then seasoned the ground beef again with salt & pepper, adding layers of flavor instead S&P all at once.
Can’t wait to have the left-overs for lunch!!