Make a pan of these Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers to feed your hungry family. Each pepper is loaded with lots of meat and veggies and is a delicious option when you are choosing better food options.
The first thing out of our kids' mouths when they walk in the door is, "What's for dinner?" You would think they hadn't eaten in weeks with their hunger. But I know better because every morning, my hubby or I get up and make sure they have lunch to grab as they walk out the door.
Yes, our kids are teenagers and can make lunches, and some days they do. But I love sending them to school with a lunch hand-packed with love. Hmmmm, I wonder what they would think if I started adding little notes and messages like I used to when they were little.
They might start making their lunches, and I would get a few extra minutes of snoozing. Just kidding. I would do it again if they told me how embarrassed they were because that's our job as a parent, right? Embarrass them with lots of love!
They don't even wait for us to answer with our dinner plans because they are already pulling open every cupboard and fridge to see what they can devour. I get it. Our daughter starts school at 7 am and eats lunch at 10 am, so she is hungry when she walks through that door at 3 pm.
She is cursed with her mama's sweet tooth and would eat bites of this cookie dough cheesecake brownie pie all day long if we didn't watch her. We are trying very hard to teach and model good eating habits, so we have to keep an eye on her. She usually tries to sneak chips and cookies into her room to munch on.
We always offer fruits and veggies in the fridge for an after-school snack, but that usually gets met with lots of grumbles and complaining. If they are hungry, they will eat it, right?
Our kids are fortunate to live in a household with food in the fridge and pantry. They honestly do not know what it means to be truly hungry. They may not like our food choices and snacks, but at least they have food on their plates and stomachs regularly.
So many homes and families across our great nation are struggling. Did you know that 1 in 8 families do not know where their next meal will come from? That number blows me away. It also makes me a little embarrassed because I know how much excess food we buy and waste weekly.
Most days we try to plan a lean and green meal for our dinners. Usually, these meals are a hit or miss with our kids. They still prefer this ooey gooey meat lover's pizza ravioli over things like these parmesan garlic shrimp zucchini noodles. Let's be honest...so do I. I have to choose each day to love (and eat) veggies.
As I pulled out cans of tomatoes from the pantry, I wanted to make stuffed peppers for dinner. And when the urge to use veggies hits, I have to jump on it immediately because that doesn't happen often. Since we are trying to limit our carbs, I used riced cauliflower instead of the actual rice. You guys!
Our kids couldn't even tell the difference between these stuffed peppers.
Our youngest, pickiest eater devoured 2 ½ of these peppers right away. And he has asked for them to be on our menu again. I'd say that's a winner-winner dinner right there.
Recipe
Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers
These Cauliflower Stuffed Peppers are loaded with meat and veggies. It's an easy and delicious dinner to feed your hungry family.
Ingredients
- 1 - 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 6 bell peppers, tops cut off & seeded
- 1- 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower rice, patted dry
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 - 2.25 ounce can sliced olives, diced
- 1 - 4 ounce can diced green chilies
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup diced cilantro
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon half the can of tomato sauce into a bowl. Mix in ¼ cup water. Spread this mixture on the bottom of a greased casserole dish. Set aside.
- Cook the ground beef and garlic in a skillet until cooked. Remove any grease if needed.
- Mix together the cooked beef, cauliflower rice, diced tomatoes, olives, green chilies, spices, lime juice, and cilantro in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the mixture evenly into the 6 bell peppers. Stand the peppers up in the prepared pan. Cover the entire dish with foil and cook for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and spoon a tablespoon of leftover tomato sauce on top of each pepper. Top with cheese and place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately with green onions.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 623mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 11gProtein: 28g
*I was compensated for my time creating this recipe as a brand ambassador for Red Gold. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own. Thank you for letting me share the brands and products we use and love.
Joanne
A while back, I cooked stuffed peppers with riced cauliflower, too, and my husband
could not tell the difference. 🙂
David
Giiirl these are so pretty, you had me at lean and green!!