Beef and Couscous Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers
Recipe courtesy of The Beef Checkoff.
Recipe Ingredients:
1 pound 96% lean ground beef15 baby sweet bell peppers* (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2/3 cup regular or spicy 100% vegetable juice
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/4 cup uncooked whole wheat or regular couscous
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Parmesan, Monterey Jack, white cheddar or Italian-blend cheese
Cooking Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membranes, but not stem. Place peppers, cut-sides up, on two rimmed baking sheets.
- Combine ground beef, vegetable juice, spinach, couscous, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper in large bowl, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Spoon beef mixture evenly into peppers. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, in 400°F (205°C) oven 25 to 30 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pepper registers 160°F (71.1°C) and peppers begin to brown.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 12 servings.
*Medium bell peppers (any color), cut lengthwise into sixths may be substituted for mini peppers.
Tips:
- Two broiler pans may be substituted for baking sheets
- Cooking times are for fresh or thoroughly thawed ground beef.
- Color is not a reliable indicator of ground beef doneness.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/30 of recipe): Calories: 37; Total Fat: 1g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 12mg; Total Carbs: 3g; Fiber: 1g; Protein: 4g; Sodium: 99mg.
Recipe and photograph courtesy of The Beef Checkoff.