Vegetable & Beef Stuffed Red Peppers

Name: Vegetable & Beef Stuffed Red Peppers
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 15 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

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. —Jennifer Zimmerman, Avondale, Arizona

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

Directions

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.
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.
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 wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in cooked beef, rice, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and salt.
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.

Originally published as Stuffed Red Bell Peppers in Light Recipes 2015

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MarilynRaz

Oct 6, 2016

I substituted chopped fresh mushrooms for the spinach, no problem. You may want additional salt and sauce.
catmcdonald

Sep 23, 2016

Made this for my family. Everyone loved these stuffed peppers, even the little kids! Thank you for sharing your recipe.