February 2, 2016

Stuffed Peppers with a Twist

Confession - I love the flavor of stuffed peppers, I just can't stand the texture.  I feel like I never get the "pepper" part right and am always left thinking..."That was okay, but not spectacular."

Well my friends, if you are in my same boat, I have the answer.  It's all of the amazing flavors used in a traditional stuffed pepper recipe but deconstructed into casserole form.  Perfect-o!




I have fixed this recipe many, many times and I love it more and more every time I prepare it.  I have even made it for a crowd and they loved it as well.  

One of my favorite things about this recipe is the versatility.  You can switch out the ground beef for turkey, brown rice for white, canned tomatoes for real, jarred spaghetti sauce for homemade, adding extra veggies in (I might try mushrooms next time!), etc.  You can tailor this to be as healthy and/or convenient as you wish, as well as having the option of making it the night before and baking it the next day.  

This is definitely in my "winner" category.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  Happy cooking!


Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Print Here!

1 lb extra lean ground beef
1-2 green bell pepper(s), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
2 C cooked brown rice
1 can diced tomatoes (regular or Rotel), drained
1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce
2 C reduced fat shredded Colby Jack cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet cook ground beef, peppers,onions, garlic and salt/pepper over medium heat until no longer pink and the onions are translucent.  


In a large bowl (or in the pan if it is big enough), stir together the meat mixture, cooked brown rice, drained tomatoes, spaghetti sauce and 1 C of the shredded cheese.



Spread mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish (I always spray with nonstick spray beforehand) and top with remaining 1 C of cheese.



Bake for 25 minutes.  The casserole should be heated through and the cheese melted.

Disclaimer - this recipe makes a lot...but leftovers are even better the next day!

Enjoy!



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