Now that the calendar has turned over to the month of September, it is time for me to start cooking again. This is not a problem because I LOVE cooking and creating delicious food that often gets shared with family. It seems once September comes it marks a change.. in the way I think, work and eat. Even though it is still quite hot outside, the thought of soups, stews and other comfort foods sounds wonderfully appealing after a summer of BBQ’s and salads.
This weekend I made my delicious granola topping, two soups (broccoli and beef soup and Cabbage and Scraps soup) and these lovely healthy hearty stuffed roasted peppers.
Now I am not one to brag (ok maybe once in a while) usually but these are delicious! Originally it was another recipe that I liked the sounds of but of course could not resist putting my own healthy spin on it with a bit of extra sauce and changing the meat.. adding extra vegetables.. you know, just a couple things.
I used a pound of extra lean ground turkey and it was too much, so the leftover mixture got tossed into my turkey and scraps soup when I was done.
I had never roasted whole peppers before so it was a bit of a test but they turned out beautifully. I think there is probably a fine line between cooked and mushy though, so watch them as they roast so they are tender but yet still firm.
Roasted Stuffed Peppers
3 FS smart points per serving – serves 4
Roasted Peppers
4 large Roasted Peppers – I used Red and yellow but by all means use what you like.
Cut the tops off and make sure there are no seeds left in your peppers. Trim the good pepper away from the seeds on top and save it for the meat mixture and discard the seeds.
Shake some salt and pepper into the filling of the peppers. Place the peppers open face down on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Cook at 375F. for approx. 30 minutes or until tender.
While these are cooking prepare your filling:
Filling
Sweet peppers chopped into small pieces. (approx 1 cup)
(If you want some heat, you could add a touch of hot pepper as well at your own risk 😉 )
1 pound Extra Lean Turkey Breast ground meat (you may have leftovers) You could roast an extra pepper if you want to use this as well.
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes (No salt)
1 cup onion finely chopped
1 cup celery finely chopped
1/2 cup Bravo or other pasta sauce
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 chopped roasted garlic cloves (you can roast the garlic at the same time as the peppers)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt (optional)
1/4 tsp black pepper (more if you like the added spice)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 oz Grated cheese
Brown the turkey meat and set aside. Crumble it into small pieces.
Add the vegetables, tomatoes and spices to a pan heated to medium high with the olive oil. Cook until tender stirring often, approx 5 minutes.
Add the pasta sauce and meat. Stir to mix well.
Remove the peppers from the oven, turn over and leave on the pan. Add the meat mixture to each pepper and top each with 1/2 oz of the grated cheese. (NOTE you can add more but if you are on the Weight Watchers program, make sure you add points for this)
Return the peppers with the cheese to the oven and continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
I cut mine in half once on the plate. it makes a lovely presentation and you will enjoy every bite guilt free. 🙂 Served with a side salad this makes a filling meal.
