Stuffed Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are a great way to add color and beneficial nutrients to your diet. High in vitamin C and beta-carotene, bell peppers make the perfect vessel for a complete dinner. This is a new take on an old traditional dish. I have replaced your typical rice with heart healthy lentils. This gluten and grain free version is packed with flavor and can be made ahead of time- perfect for a busy mom like me.
If lentils aren’t your thing, I suggest giving them a try in this recipe. Beans are much more nutritious than rice. My husband must of had a bad lentil experience growing up and wanted nothing to do with them, but he enjoyed these stuffed peppers quite a bit. If you really dislike them, use rice in place of the lentils if you must…
Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 4 bell peppers, I like to use a variety of colors
- 1 lb ground turkey/beef
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1 cup marinara sauce (already prepared)
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- muenster or cheddar cheese (or any nice melting cheese)
- Preheat oven to 400.
- First you need to prepare your bell peppers. Split them down the center, remove seeds and white membrane. I like to leave the stem intact. (see above picture)
- Combine all ingredients, except muenster cheese.
- Stuff peppers, making sure to get it down in the crevices and pack it down. You can mound it a bit on the top. *At this point you can place in a casserole dish, cover and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.
- Bake for 40 minutes, covered.
- Remove cover, top each pepper with cheese and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.
- Serve with extra maranara sauce.
*yields 8 halves
Hi! These look great! I’ve tried stuffed peppers in the past but they never really worked out for me. I am excited to try your recipe :)
Just a couple of questions…Do you brown your ground turkey/beef before you put them in the peppers? and are beans, lentils…like navy beans? or are lentils something different?
Thanks Janell! I adapted this recipe in order to skip that step, which I think isn’t really necessary and dirties up another pan. By cooking it covered for the first 40 minutes, it essentially steams and cooks the meat thru. Lentils are smaller round beans, which require less soaking and cooking time. They do sell them in cans as well, in certain stores. If you are unable to find them and decide to try another bean, let us know how it turns out!
Hi Michelle,
I just got done making the baked, stuffed peppers. I have fresh herbs and I am using provolone cheese to top it with. It smells AWESOME! I cannot have most prepared sauces so I quick made my own marinara sauce using Muir Gle Brand and 365 tomato paste. I also made the blueberry/peach cobbler that you have featured. It’s not in the oven yet but I can’t wait to put it in while we are eating dinner and have the smell fill the house. The peppers are beautiful and it looks like I slaved for hours but I didn’t. I truly enjoyed making these. Oh, and at the same time, I put in the baked Spaghetti Squash. (Yes, I tried it again and this time I made sure I prepared it first. lol!) I rubbed the inside of the squash halves with olive oil after I cleaned out the pulp. Then I sprinkled chopped garlic and a little tummeric to the inside of the squash. (Doc has me on a liver cleanse anyway so I sprinkled on the tummeric). It’s already done and waiting for the peppers. I can’t wait. These are all foods that I can eat and I so appreciate your web site. It’s a regular for me.
Thanks!
Melissa K.
It all sounds wonderful Melissa! It’s true, most prepared sauces are a little “sketch” for me too. With tomatoes in season, I’ll be working on a good and simple marinara recipe! Thanks for your honest and descriptive feedback!
Michelle
Thank you so much for your great recipes. This one was very appreciated! Yum yum yum