#1,363: Italian Style Un-Stuffed Peppers

Well this is about my 11th form of a "stuffed pepper" recipe I've posted on my blog.  Can you tell it is one of my go-to meals?!  As I've noted before, I don't actually like the texture of stuffed peppers, so I "un-stuff" mine and add the diced peppers right into the recipe/dish.  I've made stuffed peppers in the crockpot, as soup, as a skillet meal, etc.  All of them are good in their own way.  This recipe was no exception.  It was so easy to throw together and I'm enjoying eating it (over fresh spinach).  Love this paleo-friendly meal!!

2 bell peppers (I diced mine)

1 Tbsp bacon grease or coconut oil

1/2 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped

4 small tomatoes, diced (or use 14 oz canned diced tomatoes)

1 lb grass-fed ground beef (I used ground turkey)

6 Fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

2 c Baby spinach, finely chopped (Kale would be good too!)

sea salt – to taste

black pepper – to taste
hot sauce – optional, as garnish
extra basil leaves garnish

Preheat your oven to 375.  Halve the bell peppers and place them in a roasting dish face-down for about 10-15 minutes. Note: You can skip this step if you want to keep the peppers more firm/raw when you eat them (or if you are adding them to the dish diced, like I did).

While the peppers are pre-cooking, you’ll cook the stuffing on the stove-top. Use a large sautee pan or a large pot. Place your bacon grease or coconut oil in the pan and then cook the onions over medium-high heat until they’re slightly browned on the edges and appear cooked through (translucent). You may season them with salt and pepper to taste.

Next add the ground beef or turkey, breaking it up and allowing it to cook through completely. Then add the tomatoes and garlic and allow the ingredients to simmer together for a couple of minutes.  Add the chopped basil and spinach and mix them in just allowing them to wilt.  (I also added the hot sauce at this point, along with some Italian seasoning).

Remove the peppers from the oven when they’re just a bit softened, then flip them over and spoon in your stuffing mixture.  If you would like to eat them at this point, you can go right ahead. Otherwise, place them back into the oven for around 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld even more.  (I skipped this step completely, turned the skillet down to low and let the flavors melt/simmer for about 15 minutes.  I added a little bit of water to the pan (about 1/8 c) so it wouldn't get too dry).