Saturday, September 14, 2013

Paleo Stuffed Peppers

My ideal Friday night would be having some friends over for dinner and board games. Sounds pretty awesome right? But paleo entertaining can be challenging. I’ve turned many a skeptic around with some delicious paleo dinner party worthy meals.
One of my fondest memories from growing up was coming home from middle school to my dad sitting at the kitchen table preparing a mixture for stuffed peppers. It was special to have him home early and a great surprise that he was making the family dinner. I remember sitting at the table with him, watching all the care and love he put into making our family’s meal.  I doubt he remembers this afternoon, but it’s a memory I cherish. Isn’t it funny how the smallest events can have the biggest impact on us?
Even though I can’t remember, if I know my Dad, his peppers were stuffed with bread crumbs, cheese and other tasty, but not at all paleo, items.
My version, just as delicious, and completely paleo... but your friends and family would never know!


Paleo Stuffed Peppers

What you need
  • Bell Peppers 3-4, I used yellow
  • Sweet Italian Sausage, ground
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 diced yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic diced
  • Fresh basil
  • Tomato sauce (your favorite kind)
  • 2 tablespoons egg substitute or 1 whole egg beaten
  • Salt and pepper to taste
First put a big pot of water on the stove to boil and preheat your oven to  375 degrees. Then cut the tops off your peppers and clean the seeds from the inside.  If your water isn’t boiling by now, you can start to cook the mushrooms, onions and garlic. When the water is ready, pop the peppers in for about 5 minutes to soften them. Remove and let cool.





Meanwhile, remove your veggies from the heat and set aside, start to brown your ground sausage. When the sausage is just about done, add your veggies back in and add the spinach. 


Allow the spinach to wilt before you stir in the tomato sauce and egg substitute. The key ingredient comes next! Chiffon (I just like to say that, but in less fancy terms chop up) the fresh basil. Add most of the basil to your filling but leave a little for topping the peppers.



Put the filling into the peppers. Spoon a little tomato sauce on top and sprinkle with the left over basil. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

What you get
Bell peppers are ubiquitous and really versatile. They are full of antioxidants which help strengthen the immune system and may fight cancer. They also have carotenoids. Yup, the same stuff as in carrots, so they are good for your vision! In fact, yellow peppers, which I suggest for this recipe, have lutein and zeaxathin which help protect eyes against cataracts and macular degeneration. Peppers are also a good source of fiber. And put down that orange juice! One bell pepper may have up to three times the daily requirement of Vitamin C!

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