Now that my boys are in school and a handful of additional activities, our weekly schedule is PACKED! Eating healthy, home cooked meals is a priority for our family, but gets really challenging when we are out and about at hockey or swimming lessons until dinner time. By the time we get home, we have about a hour for dinner, bath and bedtime, which isn’t much time AT ALL!
I am constantly scouring Pinterest for quick and easy recipes that I can prep ahead of time and throw together in a few minutes once we get home. More importantly, I need recipes that are healthy AND that my kids will eat.
It has been a rule in our house, since our boys were toddlers, that they eat what we eat. We do not fix separate meals for our kids, we simply adjust our cooking to make it a little more kid friendly if necessary!
This stuffed bell pepper recipe is something that my mom made often when I was little. I’ll admit my husband finds it a little too healthy, but he still gobbles it right up. For the kids, we toss the “stuffing” in a bowl and give them tortilla chips for spoons!
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your Pinterest board so you always have it at your fingertips!
Quick and Easy Stuffed Bell Peppers
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 30-35 minutes
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (or any ground protein)
4 Bell Peppers
1 jar (12 oz.) Heinz Chili Sauce
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups sweet corn, I use frozen sweet corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups quinoa or brown rice, I LOVE the Success Boil-in-Bag Tri Colored Quinoa because its quick and easy
Sriracha to taste (optional), I add this afterwards, because it’s obviously too spicy for our kids
Directions:
Begin by boiling a pot of water and turning on your oven to 350 degrees.
Clean your bell peppers and cut the tops off, but do not discard the tops.
Place peppers in your pot of boiling water; boil for about 10 minutes. Remove from water and dry completely.
Meanwhile, chop the tops of your peppers and set aside. Dice your onion, combine with chopped bell pepper and set aside.
Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions.
Cook the ground beef (or your protein of choice) until fully cooked. Drain off excess fat.
Add diced bell pepper, onion and corn to the skillet with the beef.
Sautee for approximately 5-7 minutes or until your vegetables are thoroughly cooked.
Add the black beans, cooked quinoa and the entire jar of chili sauce to your skillet; stir until all of your ingredients are sufficiently combined.
Fill your bell peppers with beef mixture and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Please your stuffed peppers in the oven until the cheese is melted.
There is usually enough filling left to save for lunch the next day. One of our favorite and easy mom lunches is the stuffed pepper filling reheated and devoured with tortilla chips!
Bon appetite!
