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©Life of a Foodie and Her Family 2008-2013, Lynn Tabor

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6/21/2020

Italian Stuffed Peppers

Hey there!  I have been making a few new things and posting on my Instagram.  A few friends asked for the recipe, so I figured that I should blow the dust off of my alter ego blog.

Back to back Racery events (yes I really logged 150 miles in 10 days and the second 155 miles in 10.5 days)  and eating everything that I could, plus this Quarantine....well I have gained back a bunch of weight that I lost a few years ago.  About a month a go, I stepped on the scale and cried for a few minutes.  So time to get real and log food and water again.  I have been looking at Pinterest and trying to find things that would be yummy, healthy and easy to figure out portion size.  Stuffed peppers seem to fit that criteria.  I take the recipe and log it into My Fitness Pal to get the nutritional info as what is posted on other blogs just don't seem right or I try and make better changes.

I tweaked the original recipe for this recipe since it didn't look like enough flavor.  So here is what I made:

6 medium bell peppers (any color except green)
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound 93% lean ground beef
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced or grated on a microplane
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ to 1/2  teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tbs Tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (you could also use Farro or Quinoa)
1 cup shredded Mozzarella - divided
½ cup Parmesan - divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 10x15-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Slice the bell peppers in half from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and membranes then arrange cut side up in the prepared baking dish.

Heat the olive oil in a large, skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.  Drain and return to the skillet. 

Make a hot spot in the middle of the skillet and add the tomato paste.  Let that cook a bit and get a little brown in color.  Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, Garlic salt, and red pepper flakes. Saute for a few minutes until garlic smells yummy.  Add the can of diced tomatoes and their juices. Let simmer for 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rice  and ½ cup of the Mozzarella and ¼ cup of the parmesan. Mound the filling inside of the peppers, then top with the remaining cheeses.

Pour a bit of water into the pan with the peppers just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted. Top with fresh basil. Serve hot with a side salad.  (We didn't as the peppers were very filling)









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