Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed bell peppers are a family favorite. Filled with a mixture of lean ground beef, tomatoes, rice, and topped with shredded pepper jack cheese and fresh parsley leaves. It's baked to perfection. Healthy, and customizable comfort food at its finest.
Ingredients
- 4-6 bell peppers, halved and seeds removed any color
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
For the Filling:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice any kind
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, grated or shredded
For the Garnish:
- Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a casserole dish. Wash and prepare produce.
- Cook rice according to packaged instructions in a rice cooker or a small stockpot. Set aside.
- Cut bell peppers in half vertically. Remove the stem, seeds, and membranes. Drizzle some olive oil on bell peppers. Coat the outside and inside with oil. Arrange peppers cut-side face down in the casserole dish. Pre-bake peppers at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
For the Filling:
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute garlic and onions over medium-high heat, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Drain out liquid from beef. Add diced tomatoes, Worchestershire sauce, cooked rice, spinach, Italian seasoning, and dried thyme. Season with kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste. Stir until the spinach starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Remove bell pepper from the oven. Using tongs, flip peppers inside facing up.
- Fill bell peppers with beef filling. Sprinkle pepper jack cheese over the top. Place casserole dish back into the oven. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
For the Garnish:
- Remove peppers from the oven. Garnish peppers with fresh parsley leaves.
- Serve immediately.