Classic Stuffed Bell Peppers

There are always those recipes that stay with you from childhood, no matter how long it's been.  Comfort food is interesting that way.  I'll always remember enjoying my mom's stuffed peppers, shredded chicken nachos, and corned beef and cabbage as long as I live. These memories are so heart-warming and familiar, it's hard to believe we can go so long without them, yet the memory is so strong.

Since I live states away from my mom and my need for comfort food is real, I wanted to create my own version of the stuffed peppers recipe she used to make. I made a few changes to add in some additional fiber and remove some processed foods.

Nowadays, I get to enjoy this comforting meal with three kiddos and think back on my own happy childhood memories at the same time.

What is it about comfort food from our childhood?  Is it just a food we enjoyed that our mom or dad or grandma made for us?  Is it just that is was familiar and so it became comforting?  Or was there something so special about that moment in time where we were cared for and the food just created that memory?

I wonder what my kiddos will remember when they're older - will it be something I hardly ever made? A routine weeknight dinner?  Or - yikes - will they even remember me as a good cook? lol

Here's a breakdown of the ingredients for one of my favorite bell pepper recipes.

• Brown Rice: My mom would use white rice, but I’m always partial to brown rice as a super easy and high-fiber, unrefined alternative. You could choose another grain or quinoa as well, but the rice does provide a real creamy, yummy texture for the stuffed peppers.
• Ground Beef or Turkey: I also choose lean, grass-fed ground beef or ground turkey to make sure the saturated fat amounts remain in check. Note: If making vegetarian stuffed peppers, you would omit the ground meat and low sodium chicken broth and replace with vegetable broth. You could also swap the meat for chopped mushrooms.
• Parmesan: My mom used the parmesan from the containers (remember those parmesan gratings from the canister that never went bad, and have been shown to actually contain wood?), but I use freshly grated parmesan nowadays. If you're dairy-free or making vegetarian stuffed peppers, though, you can use nutritional yeast or just omit this topping.
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth: This is for the rice, and adds a little bit of extra flavor to the meal. Using low-sodium allows us to control the sodium amount.  This is such an easy way to reduce your daily sodium intake and you'll never taste the difference!
• Bell Peppers: Stuffed peppers are a forgiving recipe. You can add an extra ingredient here or leave out another there, and it’ll still be delicious. You could also use the filling to stuff tomatoes, zucchini, stuffed spaghetti squash bowls, or whatever you happen to have on hand. On that note, I like red or green bell peppers the best for this recipe, but any will do.
• Diced Tomatoes: I use canned diced tomatoes, but you could also use fresh. If using fresh, make sure to include the juices from the tomatoes.

How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers

It's super easy to make these stuffed bell peppers, and the recipe works great in bulk, too. Here is a breakdown of the steps for how to make them:

Cook the Rice: In a deep pot, heat the brown rice with low-sodium chicken broth over medium-high heat. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes or until rice is mostly tender.

Cook the Meat: Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lean ground beef, diced yellow onion, minced garlic, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, dried oregano, and paprika and stir to combine. Cook until the meat is well-browned and the onions are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Next, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and cooked brown rice (should be approximately 3 cups) and stir to combine.

Prep the Bell Peppers: Carefully slice off the tops of each bell pepper, leaving as much of the pepper as possible. Then, clean out each pepper and wash thoroughly. Place each pepper in an oven-safe baking dish, cut side up.

PRO TIP: If you find the pepper wont stand up on its own, it may be necessary to slice off some of the bottom of the pepper to make it level.

Stuff the Peppers: Gently spoon the cooked ricer and beef mixture into hollowed-out peppers and top with shredded parmesan cheese. If there is extra stuffing, you can spread it around the peppers in the baking dish.

Bake: Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.

How To Cut A Bell Pepper For Stuffed Peppers

In case you're wondering how the heck you cut a bell pepper for stuffed peppers, it's not as difficult as it looks.  PS it's not magic, either, but it's pretty amazing once they're all baked and ready to dig into. You'll need these steps for any bell pepper recipe.

1. On a cutting board, lay the bell pepper on its side.
2. Slice off the top with a knife. Try to slice off as little of the top as needed in order to remove the stem.
3. Twist the stem and then remove and discard the core.
4. Hold the bell pepper upside down over a trash can or the sink and gently pat the bottom of the bell pepper to knock any remaining seeds out.

If seeds remain in the bell pepper, you can always rinse it out with water.

Also, if your bell pepper just won't stand up, you have a couple of options.

(1) you can gently slice an ever-so-small slice on the bottom to make the rounded edges of the bottom flat so it stays upright or

(2) Just hold it upright with the additional cooked rice and beef filling that you add to the casserole dish.

If all else fails, you can always slice the entire bell pepper in half through the stem and just stuff half of it, but they'll take up more space in your casserole dish this way.

FAQs

More Healthy Bell Pepper Recipes

After you make these healthy stuffed peppers, I recommend trying these recipes with bell peppers.

I sure hope you enjoy these bell peppers - they're simply delicious and a great weeknight dinner that can be used for lunches throughout the week as left-overs. Maybe this could turn out to be one of those lovely memories for you and your family as well 🙂