Italian Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are great and there are so many fantastic variations... Mexican-style, vegetarian, beef, turkey, buffalo, grains, Italian, etc... Last night I went with the Italian version, but did it a little different than usual... added more veggies and fresh tomato puree. I must say, they were my favorite yet.

As usual, I made them in stages - working around Tilman's nap time. Cooking with him means him insisting on stirring everything and begging to be held the whole time so he can see what's cookin'. In other words... it's too difficult. So, I made the meat mix first and then stuffed the peppers and baked right before we ate.

Here's the scoop...

ITALIAN STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
What you need:
4 bell peppers (any color) - cut out stem, remove seeds and membranes
1LB lean ground beef
1 small sweet onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 zucchinis - chopped
1C fresh spinach leaves
1C cherry tomatoes, blended with salt, pepper and oregano OR use 1C low-sugar marinara
1TBSP oregano
2tsp paprika
1TBSP cumin
Optional: 1-2tsp crushed red peppers for a little spice
salt & pepper to taste

How to:
Saute onion and garlic in skillet. Add chopped zucchini. Cook about 5 minutes and then add beef, tomato sauce and seasonings. Cook until meat is brown but not overcooked since you will be baking it too. (When it was done, I put it in the fridge for later, but here's the rest of it...)

Preheat oven to 350. Place peppers in oven for 10 minutes. Take out and stuff with meat. You can add some additional marinara and cheese if you'd like. Bake 5-10 more minutes.

Enjoy with a side salad or some whole grain noodles.

My cutie pie was a fan too! He even liked chewy on the bell pepper.

Another baby friendly, healthy family meal! Yahooo!