A few weeks ago my fiancé wanted to change the way he eats and eliminate all grains from his diet. As the primary chef in our house, Derrick's new diet required that I get creative in the kitchen. One of his favorite dishes that I made was a take on a stuffed pepper that was grain free. Typically stuffed peppers have cheese on top and a grain, like rice or quinoa, as a filling. I simply swapped out the grain and added mushrooms as the filler. This dish is healthy, satisfying and easy to execute any night of the week. Let me know what you think.
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers, cored and seeded
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef/lamb
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped finely
- 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 pound baby spinach
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add peppers and cook for 3 minutes. Take peppers out of the water; set aside both the water and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add ground meat and garlic and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini, cilantro, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove skillet from heat & set aside.
Arrange peppers in a shallow baking dish, hollow-side up, so that they are touching. Using a slotted spoon, divide beef mixture between peppers, using all of the stuffing and reserving liquid remaining in skillet. Using the water from the peppers add about 1/4 or a inch to the bottom of the dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
To serve, spoon any liquid remaining in the baking dish on top of the peppers and serve, garnished with cilantro, if desired.