Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Veggie Loaded
Tender, sweet bell peppers make perfect cups for a healthy, hearty Italian spiced filling in this cozy oven baked meal. Ground beef, salty pepperoni, sweet onions and zucchini, mushrooms, and earthy spinach are seasoned with zesty, savory spices and coated in sweet tomato sauce in this delicious take on a nostalgic recipe.
Why I Love This Recipe
Seasoned with a savory spice blend and cooked in a rich tomato sauce, these ground beef stuffed peppers are bursting with Italian flavor. The seasonings include sweet earthy basil and dried parsley, buttery garlic and a zesty combination of bitter oregano and warm, mildly spicy chili powder. Combined with salty tangy bites of pepperoni, this recipe is a dinner favorite at my house.
Additionally, Italian Stuffed Peppers are a wholesome vegetable loaded meal. Extra small diced vegetables blend in with ground beef for a nutrient packed, delicious kid friendly bite.
Finally, as an added bonus, I like to top these savory Italian Stuffed Peppers with an quick spicy Italian mayonnaise. It's tangy from white wine vinegar and Homemade Italian Seasoning with some great heat from hot sauce. It's the perfect complement to this tasty dish. I typically drizzle on this mayonnaise when serving to adults, but skip it for kiddos who can't tolerate heat yet.
Cooking Tips
Don't skip pre-baking the bell peppers. Doing this allows them to get a nice tender texture. Otherwise, they will likely end up being crunchy. Or, if you attempt to cook them long enough to soften while already stuffed, you could end up drying out the meat filling.
In this recipe I used 4 ½ very large bell peppers. Since bell pepper size varies, especially based on time of year it could take anywhere from 5 very large peppers up to 7 medium bell peppers to contain all the filling. Keep this in mind when planning your grocery trip!
Paleo and whole30 tips
For paleo or Whole30 diet, make sure to choose a good quality uncured, additive, preservative and sugar free pepperoni. Applegate is one of my favorite brands. You could also substitute with salami.
Keto tips
As is (excluding the spicy mayo) this recipe has 11g carbs and 8g net carbs. If you omit the tomato paste this dish becomes even more low carb at 9g carbs and 6g net carbs. Using the spicy Italian mayo adds 0.2g carbs, but you could also skip the mayo and use shredded mozzarella cheese instead.
Reheating directions
Additionally, Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers make delicious leftovers and are easily reheated. Reheat at 375 degrees in a baking dish covered with foil until warm and bubbly about 30-35 minutes. You can also reheat more quickly in the microwave. I typically cut the pepper in half and reheat on 70% power for 2 minutes until warm. The sauciness of the stuffed peppers will dry out slightly but will still be delicious.
Vegetable spotlight
Bell peppers, the veggie star of this dish, are packed with vitamins C and A, fiber and antioxidants. Zucchini adds additional antioxidants, vitamin K and magnesium.
And did you know mushrooms contain a plant based source of protein and vitamin D, selenium and have components that act as prebiotics for improved gut health? Finally, the nutritional heavy hitter, spinach, is full of vitamin A and E, fiber, protein, calcium, zinc and iron to name a few.
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📖 Recipe
Italian Stuffed Peppers {Paleo, Whole30, Keto} With Optional Spicy Italian Mayo
Equipment
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 9x13 baking dish
- 1 8x8 baking dish
- 1 Medium bowl
- 1 Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 4-5 large bell peppers assorted colors
- 1½ tablespoon neutral oil
- 3 pinches salt
- 1½ tablespoon neutral oil
- 1½ lbs ground beef I used 85/15
- 2 pinches salt
- 3 dashes black pepper
- 1 medium onion small diced
- 2 pinches salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon oregano crushed with fingers to release oils
- 1½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 small zucchini de-seeded and small diced
- ¾ cup mushrooms (about 5-6 whole mushrooms) small diced
- 2.5 oz pepperoni diced into small squares
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Optional Creamy Italian Drizzle
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon Homemade Italian Seasoning*
- 1½-3 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Slice bell peppers in half. Place in baking dishes, drizzle with neutral oil and salt peppers in each baking dish with 2 pinches of salt. Place in oven for 15 minutes to soften peppers.
- Heat neutral oil in a large skillet over MED heat. When very warm add ground beef. Cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally until mostly browned about 5-6 minutes. I like to break down the meat into very small pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl to catch any juices.
- Add diced onion and 2 pinches of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and spice blend: parsley, salt, chili powder, oregano, basil and black pepper. Sauté stirring frequently until spices are fragrant about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste. Sauté stirring frequently to toast to a deep red color about 1-2 minutes. Stirring often will help prevent tomato paste from sticking/burning on the bottom of the pan.
- Add mushrooms and zucchini. Sauté stirring often until vegetables are beginning to soften about 2-3 minutes.
- Add pepperoni and sauté about 30 seconds. Add ground beef and accumulated juices and spinach. Stir to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Turn off burner. Add tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Fill peppers with meat and vegetable mixture. Bake at 350℉ for 10 minutes.
- Make Creamy Italian Drizzle: In a small bowl mix mayonnaise, salt, Italian seasoning, hot sauce and white wine vinegar together. Cover and refrigerate.
- Serve peppers warm with creamy Italian drizzle if desired.
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