Healthy stuffed peppers
Classic stuffed peppers with lean ground beef, brown rice and tomato, baked under mozzarella. 23 g of protein a pepper, plus a black bean version for vegetarians.
- 310
- kcal
- 23g
- protein
- 11g
- fat
- 28g
- carbs
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers, any color
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (450 g) 93% lean ground beef
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked or sweet paprika
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup (115 g) shredded part-skim mozzarella
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped parsley, to serve
Method
-
1
Prepare the peppers
Heat the oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the peppers and pull out the seeds and ribs. Trim a thin slice off any base that will not stand up, without cutting through.
-
2
Pre-bake the peppers
Stand them in a baking dish and bake empty for 10 minutes. This is what keeps them from being crunchy when the filling is done.
-
3
Brown the beef
Meanwhile cook the onion in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and paprika for the last minute.
-
4
Mix the filling
Off the heat, stir in the diced tomatoes, half the tomato sauce, the rice and half the mozzarella. Season well with salt and pepper.
-
5
Stuff and bake
Pack the filling into the peppers, mounding it on top. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce around them in the dish, cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
-
6
Add the cheese
Uncover, top with the remaining mozzarella and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until the cheese is browned and the peppers are tender when pierced. Scatter with parsley.
Why stuffed peppers go wrong
Stuffed peppers usually fail in one of two ways: the filling is done but the pepper is still crunchy, or the pepper is soft but the filling is dry. The cause is the same. The filling is already cooked, and the pepper needs about 45 minutes in the oven to soften. Baking the empty peppers for 10 minutes first, and covering the dish with foil for most of the baking, solves both. The foil keeps the steam in, so the peppers soften without the filling drying out.
Some recipes boil the peppers first. That works, but they can split and get waterlogged. Pre-baking is simpler.
Which peppers to use
Red, yellow and orange peppers are sweeter and softer when cooked. Green peppers are cheaper and more bitter, and they keep their shape best. Choose peppers that are wide and blocky, with flat bottoms that stand up. Tall, narrow ones fall over and hold less filling.
Making them healthier, and what each choice is worth
- Lean beef: 93% lean ground beef rather than 80% saves about 80 kcal and 10 g of fat per pepper. Ground turkey or chicken works the same way.
- Brown rice: adds fiber. White rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa can be used instead. Cauliflower rice saves about 45 kcal and 10 g of carbohydrate per pepper.
- Part-skim mozzarella: melts well, with a quarter less fat than whole-milk mozzarella and about half the fat of cheddar.
The same beef, rice and tomato filling wrapped in cabbage leaves instead is Polish cabbage rolls.
Vegetarian stuffed peppers
Replace the beef with 2 cans (15 oz each) of black beans, drained and rinsed, and 1 cup of corn kernels, fresh or frozen. Use 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp chili powder in place of the Italian seasoning, and Monterey Jack or pepper jack in place of the mozzarella if you like. Each pepper has about 340 kcal and 17 g of protein, with about 13 g of fiber. Leave out the cheese, or use a vegan cheese, for a vegan version.
Make ahead and freezing
Stuff the peppers, cover and refrigerate up to a day before baking. Add 10 minutes to the covered baking time. Baked peppers keep 4 days in the fridge. They freeze for 3 months, individually wrapped, though the peppers soften more after thawing. Reheat covered at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
What they are worth nutritionally
One stuffed pepper has about 310 kcal, with 23 g of protein, 11 g of fat and 28 g of carbohydrate, including about 5 g of fiber. That is a full dinner in one pepper. Bell peppers are one of the richest sources of vitamin C among common vegetables. A large red pepper has more than a day's worth, though some is lost in long cooking.
