This tasty version of stuffed peppers is scrumptious and a welcome change of pace for stuffed peppers. I think you and your family will enjoy these. With some green peppers (you could use any color however), a few black olives and a zucchini, you can be enjoying this for dinner tonight. I always love trying new fillings for stuffed peppers. Peppers are so nutritious as well! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, and Primal Blueprint. Omit the cheese for a Paleo version.
INGREDIENTS:
1 oz. onion, cut in chunks
5 oz. zucchini, cut in chunks
10 black olives
4 medium bell peppers
1 lb. lean ground pork
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. dried, seeded guajillo chile peppers (or ancho peppers)
1 Roma tomato, diced 1/2″
½ c. Monterrey Jack cheese (or mozzarella)
2 slices Cheddar cheese (or ½ c. shredded)
VARIATION: Use ground beef instead of ground pork or a mixture of pork and breakfast sausage. Another variation would be to use 4 ears canned baby corn instead of the zucchini, chopping in the food processor with the onion and olives, which will add a mild corn taste typical of tamale pie. Baby corn is much lower in carbs than regular kernel corn. You’ll need to recalculate nutritional info if you make this change, but each serving would get 1 ear and that would add 1.29 net carbs to each serving.
DIRECTIONS: Cut tops off peppers, trimming off any salvageable flesh of the pepper for future use. Cut thin slice off bottoms of peppers ONLY IF NEEDED TO LEVEL THEM. Place peppers standing upright in a ceramic baking dish and set aside. Next place the first 3 ingredients into a food processor and pulse 4-5 times to chop small. If you prefer, you can slice the olives and not process them with the zucchini. Set this mixture aside.
Preheat oven to 350º. Heat non-stick skillet or wok over high heat and brown pork until not pink. Add spices and zucchini mixture from the food processor bowl. Saute 1-2 minutes, stirring. Add chopped tomatoes and stir. Turn off heat and stir in the Jack cheese which will serve as a filling binder. Fill each pepper with 1/4 of the meat mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil and bake at 350º for 40 minutes. Water bath isn’t needed if covered tightly. Moisture will cook out of the peppers, zucchini and tomatoes. Remove foil and top with the slice or shredded Cheddar. Return to oven without foil and bake about 8-10 or just until cheddar is melted. Serve and enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each pepper contains:
417 calories, 31 g fat, 10.15 g carbs, 3.27 g fiber, 6.88 g NET CARBS, 25 g protein, 350 mg sodium
Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes 