Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers

Well, hello there! It's been a while... I fell off the blogging wagon again this fall. Sorry! But I have a really tasty recipe to make up for it... I found this recipe through Pinterest (of course!), on this blog. I wasn't sure how they would be, I was afraid they would be a bit bland, but they were FANTASTIC! The flavors in these peppers are surprising and wonderful. So, without further ado...

Italian-Style Stuffed Red Peppers
Serves: 6 (if you have plenty of sides) or 3 (if this is pretty much it for the meal)
Nutrition: 170 cal (I'm assuming this is for the 6 servings, but I haven't done the math)

For much better pictures, visit the blog above

Ingredients:
1lb lean ground turkey (or beef)
3 red bell peppers
2 c spaghetti sauce
1 t basil/oregano seasoning (or any blend of italian herbs)
1 t garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, pressed)
1/2 salt and pepper
1/2 c frozen chopped spinach (or veggie of choice); dethawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 T grated parmesan cheese + 6 T to garnish over the top of each pepper
Optional 1 t low calorie sweetener of choice to put in the sauce

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil, (for easy clean up), coat with non-stick cooking spray. Wash red peppers, and cut around the stem to remove. Remove stems.

Cut peppers in half length-wise, and remove the seeds and ribs inside the peppers. Set peppers on baking pan.

Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Stir and break up the turkey while it’s cooking. When turkey is almost completely cooked through, add the sauce and seasonings to the pan. Stir and continue to cook until the turkey is completely cooked (when it is no longer pink).  Add the spinach and parmesan and stir until everything is well combined.

Scoop 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture into each pepper.

Sprinkle 1 tbs parmesan over each pepper (or another low fat shredded cheese, such as mozzarella).

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted, and lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy! 

Things I did...

*I used parmesan cheese (she suggests that you could use other cheeses) - I also added a little bit more after I pulled it out and cut it up a bit, since the stuff that was melted on was pretty much just on that top layer.

*I used a lightly flavored sauce (I believe it was Classico brand with Tomato & Basil) - I don't know if that added to the flavor, but the flavor was SO good!

*I used an Italian blend spice and a teaspoon of jarred garlic.

*I did not leave the peppers in for 20 minutes, my rack may have been too high, but my cheese browned a little too quickly, so I moved it to a low rack and left it for a few more minutes for the sake of the peppers. I also like my peppers to be a little bit firm still, so I would suggest reducing the heat or the time. Mine were probably in for 10-15 minutes.

These peppers were very, very good! I wasn't sure even as I was making them. I was just afraid that they wouldn't have enough flavor - obviously not a problem, or enough substance - no really a problem either. However, if you're feeding men or growing boys, you should probably plan for a whole pepper for each. I ate one of the halves... than then another half of a half. But then again, I didn't really do much for sides. Like I said above, you can count the servings based on the sides you provide.