**This recipe is a household favorite! It’s quick and easy to make and is great for leftovers for the week. Sometimes on a Sunday, I will prep the filling for the peppers and then store it in the fridge for later in the week when I’m ready to make the whole meal. It’s super easy! The filling is yummy on its own as well. You can get creative and add in whatever veggies you have in the house and whatever other spices or meat you prefer. I like to add onions, but my husband isn’t a huge fan so I sometimes will leave them out of the recipe.
Serving Size: 4
Prep Time: 20- 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 bell peppers (I like to use red, yellow and orange)
- 1 pound ground chicken OR ground turkey
- 1 bag of frozen cauliflower rice (or make your own with 1 head of cauliflower in food processor)
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (with no sugar)
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 chopped onion **optional
Directions:
1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash your peppers and cut off the tops. Save what you can from the top to be used in the recipe later. Make sure to rinse off the inside so there are no seeds left inside of the pepper.
2. Place the peppers open side up into a microwaveable dish and put enough water to cover a few inches of the peppers. Microwave for about 4-5 minutes and then flip the peppers onto the other side and microwave again. The peppers should be softer to the touch once they are cooked through. You can also cook the peppers by boiling them. Set aside once they are ready and remove all of the water from the dish.
3. While the peppers are in the microwave, cook your ground chicken. I like to make it in my dutch oven that way I can put everything together before sticking it in the oven. Heat up your pan with a little olive oil on medium-high heat and then put the ground chicken in with it and lower the heat to medium. Mix in the garlic powder, onion powder, and a little salt and pepper to taste.
4. While the chicken is cooking, saute your spinach with a dash of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Set it aside until it is ready to be mixed in with the rest of the ingredients (chicken and cauliflower rice). If you have some leftover pepper pieces from the tops you can chop them up and saute them and add it into your mixture as well.
5. Heat up your cauliflower rice in a microwaveable dish in the microwave for about 6 minutes (mix it halfway through). Once you are done with that you can mix it into the pan with the ground chicken and spinach. Add a few more dashes of salt and pepper.
6. Once you have everything mixed in together, add the tomato sauce to the pan and heat through for a few minutes on low-medium heat. Next, place the mixture into the peppers and add a little tomato sauce to the tops of them. I also like to place a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish as well to keep it from drying out. Add a little salt and pepper to the top before throwing it in the oven.
7. Once your peppers are all prepped, cook them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. The peppers should be cooked through and everything should be nice and toasty. The sauce on top will start to crisp up a little bit once it’s ready. Add a little sauce on top before eating if you like a little extra!
ENJOY!!
