It’s quarantine, groceries are limited and you’ve got to get creative with what your instacart order delivers. Feeling like I wanted something sort of south of the border and with a few extra bell peppers and a pound of ground beef in the fridge I figured I could whip up some stuffed peppers. Typically for stuffed peppers I’d incorporate some rice, a nice salsa with the meat, some veggies, a bit of corn, but my supplies were limited. I opted for a simpler, heartier option. These peppers would be stuffed with seasoned ground beef, peppers, onions, olives, cherry tomatoes and cheese sauce. Definitely keto friendly if you’re on that kick, but incredibly tasty and sure to satisfy the carnivore in your life. There was leftover ground meat and cheese sauce as well so I made two taco pizzas as appetizers to go with the peppers. A great starter to the meal or a lunch for the next day. I did cheat, we have very limited spices in our quarantine local to I used a package of mccormick taco seasoning instead of my homemade taco seasoning mix.
Quarantine Stuffed Peppers for Two
Ingredients
- 2 Large bell peppers
- 1 Small white onion
- 1 Pound ground beef I recommend 80% lean
- ½ Cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- ¼ Cup sliced olives
- 1 Package Mccormick taco seasoning mix
- ½ Cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Red pepper flakes to taste if desired
- 2 Medium ~8 inch tortillas for ‘taco pizza’ appetizer if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease or line with foil a tall sided baking dish where the peppers are able to stand upright an 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish is what I used
- Slice the olives and tomatoes and set aside
- Remove the tops and stems of the peppers, but cut away the remaining good pepper flesh from around the stem and dice, this will be sauteed with the onion to put in the pepper stuffing
- Peel the onion and finely dice
- In a medium saute pan saute the peppers and onion with a bit of olive oil
- When the peppers are nearly finished add in the tomatoes and cook until just blistered and peppers and onions are slightly translucent and well done
- When done remove the pepper and onion mixture from the pan, set aside and clean out the pan
- In the same pan cook the beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned
- Drain the beef and return to pan, add in the seasoning packet and ¾ cup of water
- Let sauce combine with meat and add in the pepper and onion mixture and olives
- Turn off the heat and set aside
- Next, make the cheese sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter and add in your tablespoon of flour
- Slowly add in your milk ¼ cup at a time, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a simmer and the mixture should thicken.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until it melts and remove from heat
- Now it's time to stuff the peppers
- Stand the peppers up in your prepared baking dish
- First add a layer of meat and then follow with a bit of cheese sauce
- Finish filling the peppers with a bit of the sauce on top
- You should have some leftover filling and cheese sauce, you can save this, or make ‘taco pizza’ appetizers to go with your peppers. Simply split the remaining filling between the tortillas and top with the remaining cheese sauce. Place on a foil lined or lightly greased baking dish and set aside to be prepared just before the peppers finish baking.
- Before placing in the oven cover the peppers with foil so they do not dry out or burn. The foil will be removed for the final 10 minutes of cooking
- Bake the peppers in the oven for about 30 minutes or until they are almost done, this will depend on the size of your peppers. Remove the foil and allow the peppers to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until tender and cheese is melty. If you are making the ‘taco pizza’ appetizers place them in the oven at this time as well. Allow them to cook until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melty.
- Remove both from the oven and allow to cool slightly
- Slice ‘pizzas’ and serve both with desired toppings; sour cream, chives, hot sauce, or guacamole if you’re lucky!
