Vegetable & Beef Stuffed Red Peppers

  Dinner

I love making this stuffed pepper recipe. It's one of the few ways I can get my husband to eat veggies. Make it meatless by replacing the beef with eggplant and adding more vegetables like mushrooms or squash. You can also replace the rice with barley, couscous or even orzo.

Vegetable & Beef Stuffed Red Peppers

Average Rating: 4.666666

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 35 min. Bake: 40 min.
YIELD: 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sweet red peppers
  • 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium zucchini, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup ready-to-serve long grain and wild rice
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 slices reduced-fat provolone cheese, halved

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut and discard tops from red peppers; remove seeds. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook peppers in boiling water until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes; drain and rinse in cold water.
  • 2. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, 6-8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; pour off drippings.
  • 3. In same pan, heat oil over medium heat; saute zucchini, yellow squash, onion and green pepper until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add spinach and garlic; cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in cooked beef, rice, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and salt.
  • 4. Place red peppers in a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Fill with meat mixture. Bake, covered, until peppers are tender, 35-40 minutes. Top with provolone cheese; bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

1 stuffed pepper: 287 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 57mg cholesterol, 555mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 5g fiber), 23g protein.
Diabetic Exchanges:
3 lean meat, 2 vegetable, 1 fat, 1/2 starch.

Tags