Oh man. These paleo stuffed peppers are delicious. I was shopping at Costco recently for our monthly grocery staples when these beauties caught my eye. Huge, deep red, and organic! I go nuts for organic produce. Especially when it’s reasonably priced. It’s my thing. I just HAD to buy them.
Red peppers have double the amount of vitamin c as an orange. That’s impressive. They also pack a hefty amount of vitamin A and folate in each bite. Maybe next time you feel a cold coming on, you should reach for a red pepper instead an orange. Red pepper juice anyone?
I was thinking about what to cook with them and started craving the warmth and comfort of a good ol’ stuffed pepper. Yum. So simple yet so satisfying. I love comfort food and how it feeds the soul. These stuffed peppers are exactly that. Soul food.
Although, on second thought, my obsession and love for food runs so deep that for me, any food could be considered soul food. Cookies, potatoes, bananas, pie, brussels sprouts, any of it and all of it. I don’t discriminate. They all make my soul happy!
Stuffed peppers are easy. Do I say that about everything? Well good! Who wants to make a difficult recipe? Only 9 ingredients are needed for these bad boys:
red peppers
ground beef
onions
garlic
spinach
rice (or cauliflower rice)
zucchini
tomato sauce
spices
Start by adding your chopped onions and zucchini to a hot skillet and sauté those for about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and sauté for another minute or so. Next, add in your ground beef and cook it until there’s no pink left in the meat. Add in the rice, tomato sauce and spices, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Next add the spinach. When it’s all wilted down you know it’s pepper stuffin’ time!
Stuff each pepper – and I mean stuff! I push the filling down into the cavity of the pepper and stuff those babies as full as I can. Place all 6 peppers into your baking dish. I prefer to add an inch or so of water into the bottom of my baking dish before placing them inside. It helps the peppers steam and soften a bit more and gives them the PERFECT texture – not too crunchy, not too mushy. You guys will just love the simplicity and heartiness of this meal! Enjoy!
Simple Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 red peppers cored and cleaned
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups prepared rice or cauliflower rice for paleo
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 cup spinach
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Prepare an 8x8 baking dish by adding about a 1/2 inch of water to the bottom and set aside.
- Prepare the peppers by slicing off the tops, removing the core and seeds, and rinsing them clean. Place peppers on a paper towel to dry while you prepare the filling.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat with a little bit of cooking oil, add in the zucchini and diced onion and cook until the onion is translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add in garlic and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until there is no more pink.
- Add the prepared rice, tomato sauce and seasonings.
- Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
- Add in spinach and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the spinach wilts down.
- Fill each pepper with the meat mixture and place carefully into your 8x8 baking dish.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops have browned.
Notes
Nutrition
Sounds yummy! I want to make this soon! What size can of tomato sauce do you use? I’ve found 8 and 15 oz cans.
It’s 15 oz! So sorry! I will get the recipe updated. Thank you so much for pointing that out. Enjoy the recipe!