Stuffed Bell Peppers

Our co-op has been getting a lot of green and some red bell peppers so my fridge is overloaded with them and I thought I'd try my hand at making stuffed peppers.  I found a great recipe on the Skinny Taste blog that I have just loved!  I've made it twice now and it's just amazing.  I then talked to my friends in our produce co-op and have since gathered a few other recipes to try out so I'll share those as well.  My favorite part about the one I've tried is that it's low in calories!  I am loving this blog!  Anyway, I give this recipe a 5!  As always my changes or comments are in red.  What are your favorite stuffed pepper recipes?!

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean chopped turkey meat (or ground beef)
• 1 garlic, minced
• 1/4 onion, minced (I used green onions)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed (in her blog she really emphasizes using red, I tried green, red is better)
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• Olive oil spray
• 1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 400°. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame. Add onion, garlic and cilantro to the pan. Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey. (If you use ground beef, you'll want to drain the fat first then add the onions, garlic and cilantro to cook) Season with salt and garlic powder, and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through. Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Place in a baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can. Place all stuffed pepper halves on the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy. (I top them with cheese before I cook them and they come out great!)

Now for the other stuffed pepper recipes:

Super Easy stuffed peppers from Jena Sivula

Ingredients:

2 Large or 4 small bell peppers

1 box Spanish Flavor Rice-A-Roni (I use the Whole Grain Brown Rice Variety in the Red Box)

1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey (you can use more than this but I wouldn't use less)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (once again, you can use more but I wouldn't try less)

1 chopped fresh tomato (optional)

Directions:

Brown the ground beef. Cook up the rice a roni per package directions (I leave out the oil. you could do this in the pan with the beef and save a dish). Make the peppers into boats/shells by cutting off the tops and seeds of the small peppers or cutting large ones in half and de-seeding. Place in a shallow baking dish (with a lid if you want to cook it in the microwave). Mix the beef, rice, tomato, and half the cheese together. At this point you could also add corn or chopped peppers if you want. Stuff the mixture into the shells, mounding on top if necessary. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Add 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want the peppers, colored bell peppers will cook faster) OR cook in the microwave for 8-9 minutes. You can put these together up to a day before and keep them in the fridge before cooking.

Enjoy! Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers (Our Best Bites)
Ingredients: 

4 very large or 6 medium sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C white rice (or brown if you want to take the time to cook it), quinoa also works
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 jalapeno, minced (or you could sub a small 3oz can of mild green chilies)
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder (you can start with 1/2 and add more to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 1/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.
Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, green onions, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in a baking dish. Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro. Stir to combine well and give it a taste. Add additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to your liking. Then evenly divide mixture between peppers.

Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you can fit it on there :) and crushed tortilla chips.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.