Week-nights tend to be very busy in our household and getting a balanced dinner on the table can be a struggle if I don’t do some pre-planning ahead of time. Yesterday was a rare game less Sunday and I took full advantage of planning and grocery shopping.
The boys are home this week on vacation and I knew I needed to have a stocked fridge. While assessing the contents of the fridge, I decided to give stuffed peppers a go. My mom always made them when I was a kid and I thought they may be a hit with my guys. A little bit of this and a little bit of that and they did not come out half bad.
Loaded with healthy protein, veggies and fiber and more importantly – they can be re-heated in the microwave either before or after a sports practice.
CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE STUFFED PEPPERS
4 large green bell peppers (next time I will use red peppers but green where in the fridge)
1.25 pound ground chicken (ground turkey or lean ground beef will work well also)
1 large onion, chopped and sautéed with minced garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup prepared brown rice (quinoa would work also)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
Black pepper, smoked paprika and oregano to taste
PREPARATION
Slice the peppers lengthwise and scoop out seeds and rinds
Brown ground meat with onions and garlic, season with black pepper, paprika and oregano
Stir prepared brown rice into the meat mixture until well mixed
Add tomato sauce to the mix. I had leftover spaghetti sauce in the fridge, but you could use any
tomato based sauce.
Next time I plan on using fire roasted tomato sauce for an added kick
Stir in frozen corn (many veggies would work here or even tastier – 1/4 black beans)
Scoop a generous amount of the meat mixture into peppers and place them in a rectangular baking pan. There should be about 1/4 inch of water in the baking pan to help steam/soften the peppers while cooking.
Tightly wrap pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top of peppers during last five minutes of cooking.
ENJOY! To your health – Noreen