Lately, I’ve been mildly obsessed with stuffed peppers. I think I’ve made them 3 different times in the past month and a half, which is unusual for me since I try to make something different each week. I think I’ve been on such a stuffed pepper kick lately because they are SO easy, and there’s really no wrong way to make them.  On top of that, the variations for stuffed peppers are endless. You can do them with ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey… or you could go meatless and sub out the ground meat for black beans or quinoa. And, the other veggies you decide to put in them can range from a specific theme (Mexican, for instance) to just whatever you might have in your fridge (a marinara sauce to mix everything together).

Since there are endless possibilities for creating the perfect stuffed pepper, I thought I’d share my process for deciding how I want to “stuff” my peppers

• Do I want to use a beef base for the peppers or do I want to go meatless by using quinoa, beans or rice (or a combo of all 3)?
• I generally make this decision by seeing how much ground meat is at the store. Beef is not generally an option I choose, only because I prefer the taste of ground chicken or turkey, but it’s certainly an option if that’s your thing! My last batch of stuffed peppers had ground chicken AND quinoa… really living on the edge, I know 😉
• Do I want to do a theme like Mexican, Italian or fall (sweet potatoes, squash, etc.)?
• Do I want to go simple on the veggies and just pick a few like onions, zucchini and summer squash? Or, do I want an “everything in the fridge” mix of veggies, likely including, onions, pepper, broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, corn, etc… you get the idea.

Another thing I do when I make stuffed peppers is make extra “stuffing”, so that I can use it throughout the week. Sometimes I put it atop spinach to create a different type of salad topper, sometimes I use it in a quesadilla and other times I just eat it as it is- that’s the beauty of the stuffing- you can’t really go wrong!

Lastly, I love stuffed peppers for the nutritious value. They’re an entire meal in and of themselves because they have veggies and protein, so no need for an extra salad or meat on the side. They are great to take for lunch for this very reason 🙂

If you’re looking for a recipe to try out, check out this one: Quinoa, Black Bean, Veggie & Spinach Stuffed Peppers. I have another recipe on my blog for a taco stuffed pepper, but the pictures aren’t showing up so it looks terrible 😦 When I fix it, I’ll share it with you:)

Questions for you: Do you make stuffed peppers? What’s your favorite stuffing for them?