Stuffed Peppers for Summer

Smiling N’ Satisfied with our Summer Stuffed Peppers!

Summer is a great time to get creative with your food and “test” new recipes on friends and family! One way to get creative is to try new ways to serve your favorite meals. Rather than coming up with a brand new recipe, try serving one of your favorites in a different way. Grilled stuffed peppers, baked frittatas, or sheet pan dinners are all fantastic options to try something slightly new.

Start by choosing one of your favorite protein-based recipes from Always Hungry?, Always Delicious, or our blog. Serve the protein inside a stuffed pepper, or mix with eggs to prepare a frittata, or prepare with vegetables and roasted beans for a sheet pan dinner. All of these options are quick, easy, and impressive – perfect for a family occasion! With these recipes, you can enjoy a delicious meal, without the hassle of spending hours preparing food in the kitchen.

Our favorite filling for stuffed peppers is a meatball mix. Not only is it much easier to stuff a pepper than to roll into a bunch of small meatballs, but when the fat is “trapped” in the bell pepper, the result is extra rich and juicy!

BONUS TIP from Chef Kenzie: Use mini peppers (or even experiment with spicier peppers) to serve as cute stuffed pepper appetizers. If you’re vegetarian, try stuffing the peppers with a cheese or tofu spread.

What is Your Favorite Filling for a Stuffed Pepper?

Comment your ideas below or share a photo in our Facebook Group – we always love to see what you’ve been cooking!

Looking for More Quick-and-Easy Recipe Ideas?

Check out our downloadable meal planning classes. Each class comes with an eBook including a Specialized One-Week Meal Plan and Prep Sheet, or Specialized Recipes, as well as Additional Resources prepared by Chef Dawn Ludwig and Chef Kenzie Osborne. Each class also has the option to add-on downloadable presentation slides for more recipes and extra resources.

Browse Classes and Register Here

Stuffed Red Peppers

Chef Dawn Ludwig

These individual portions are easy to serve. Plus they look great on a tray! Make them ahead and reheat for a quick dinner after a summer day out. We’re using our Meatball recipe from Always Delicious (page 149), but feel free to experiment with other fillings, such as the Meatloaf with Smoked Paprika Ketchup (Always Delicious pages 152 – 153).

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

6 large red bell peppers
2 cups No Sugar added Marinara Sauce or for a spicy option use Ranchero Sauce (Always Hungry? pg. 272)
Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping (about 1 tbsp per pepper)
1 recipe Beef, Bison, or Turkey Meatballs

Recipe: Beef, Bison, or Turkey Meatballs

1 small onion
1 small carrot
18-20 sprigs cilantro (about 1 ounce), coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1-2 tsp All Purpose Seasoning Salt (Always Delicious pg. 283) OR ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ cup Chickpea Bread Crumbs (Always Delicious pg. 196), OR 1/4 cup chickpea flour
1¼ lbs ground beef (90% lean), ground buffalo, or ground turkey
1 tbsp Sugar-Free Worcestershire Sauce (Always Delicious pg. 284, or store bought if no sugar added)
3 tbsp neutral tasting oil, such as avocado oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Cut the tops off the peppers about 1/2 inch from the top. Remove the stem and scoop out the seeds to create a pepper cup to hold the fillings. Set aside.
Place the onion, carrot, cilantro, garlic, seasoned salt, pepper, and Chickpea Bread Crumbs (if using) in a food processor. Process until the vegetables are finely minced.
Place meat in a large bowl. Stir in the minced vegetables and the Worcestershire until well combined.
Fill each pepper with an equal amount of meat mixture, using all of the mixture. If using Smoked Paprika Ketchup, add it on top of each pepper. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Top with Marinara Sauce or Ranchero Sauce and cheese in the last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve warm or refrigerate and reheat before serving.

Notes

Dairy-Free Variation

Substitute 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast and 1/2 tbsp almond flour for parmesan cheese.

Nutrition (Stuffed Peppers Only)

Fat: 14g

Carbohydrates:26g

Protein: 26g

Calories: 340

Nutrition (Full Meal - Phase 1)

Phase 1: Serve with a side salad of mixed greens, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes and 1 – 2 teaspoons Mustard Vinaigrette (Always Hungry page 264) and a Fruity Coconut Ice Pop (Always Delicious page 310), Phase 1 Variation.

Fat: 30g (52%)

Carbohydrates: 34g (26%)

Protein: 28g (22%)

Calories: 510

Nutrition (Full Meal - Phase 2)

Phase 2: Serve with 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, a side salad of mixed greens, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes and 1 – 2 teaspoons Cashew Balsamic Vinaigrette and a Fruity Coconut Ice Pop (Always Delicious page 310).

Fat: 31g (44%)

Carbohydrates: 55g (35%)

Protein: 32g (21%)

Calories: 620

Keyword Dairy-Free, Meat, Phase 1, Phase 2