Quick And Easy Stuffed Peppers

A comfort food favorite

Has comfort food ever failed us? No, the answer is no. These stuffed peppers are like sitting in pajamas by the fireplace for your tastebuds. This recipe screams comfort food! The best part is that they’re lean enough for meal prepping, and keep well in the fridge to pack for lunch!

Believe it or not, these peppers take about 30 minutes to cook! They’re packed with flavor in every bite. A bit of sweetness in the peppers, the acidity of the tomatoes, with a little kick! As always, I used some of my Trader Joe’s staple ingredients.

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Here’s what you’ll need:

• Large glass bowl

• Large rectangular caserole dish

• Paring knife 

• Cutting board

• Skillet 

• 3 large bell peppers (any color)

• 1 pound lean ground beef

• 1 bag of Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice (2 cups)

• 1 jar of Trader Joe’s Arrabiata tomato sauce 

• 1 large fresh tomato OR one can diced tomatoes

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 small yellow onion 

• 1 cup diced white mushrooms 

• Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning 

• Olive oil 

• Salt and pepper 

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash, cut, and remove the seeds from the bell peppers. Dice the tomato, and place in the bottom of the casserole dish.

Step 2:

Cover the bottom of the dish with Arrabiata sauce, but do not use the entire jar! Next, place the peppers in a glass bowl, and microwave uncovered for 2 minutes. This will sweat a bit of the moisture out, and ensure they’re tender later. Carefully place the peppers into the dish nice and snug.

Step 3:

Heat skillet with a generous drizzle of olive oil. On the cutting board, chop the onion, garlic, and mushrooms, and add to pan. Let these ingredients sauté, stirring occasionally on medium/high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4:

Break up the ground beef as you add it to the skillet. This doesn’t have to be perfect, it can be in large chunks, it will continue to break up as it cooks. Steam the rice in the microwave as you mix the meat and vegetables in the pan. Once the meat is browned, turn the temperature to low/medium head. Add the cooked rice to the pan, mix to disperse the ingredients evenly. Add about a half cup of Arrabiata sauce to the mixture and stir. Season with mushroom umami seasoning to taste.

Step 5:

Using a large spoon, carefully fill each pepper with the “stuffing.” Be sure not to pack down the meat and rice mixture too much, as this will result in a dense, tough texture. Cover each pepper with a little bit of Arrabiata sauce. Cover, and cook for 25 min.

Step 6:

Uncover the peppers, and carefully baste them with spoonfuls of the sauce at the bottom of the dish. Place back in the oven, uncovered for another 10 min. Serve, and enjoy!

As I mentioned, the peppers will keep well in the fridge for a few days, so this is a great dish to make if you meal prep! I can’t wait to hear what y’all think of this recipe. Be sure to take photos and tag @Junk.In.Love on Instagram!