{Healthy} Stuffed Bell Peppers

        

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          One of my favorite "go to" meals is stuffed bell peppers. My original recipe is not an unhealthy version. However, I have found a few healthier alternatives that would please even the pickiest eaters. Not only is it a simple to follow recipe, but it also is one you can throw together in about 30 minutes.{Great for a mid-week dinner option. Even better, if you plan ahead a little.} Plus, if you get the pepper on sale, it's relatively cheap. {Usually, under $15 for 6 servings!}

         Normally, I will use all green bell pepper since they are always cheaper than the colorful options. If I see the yellow, orange, and red bell peppers are on sale, I become giddy with excitement and buy plenty for my recipe. {Yes, a sale on bell peppers will make me giddy.} This past week, the colorful pepper were on sale at my Kroger for $1 a piece. They still are not cheaper than green peppers, but I love how cooking with the colored peppers make me cheery. So, I splurged and bought 6 {Yes, 6} of the colorful bell peppers {2 in each color}. Now, below I will post the recipe for my original recipe. Then, below that, I will post suggestions for the even healthier alternative options.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 15-20 mins

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients:

-6 bell peppers

-1 lb of sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Regular)

-2 boxes (or the equivalent, which would be 12 oz) of Long Grain Wild Rice

 (I use Uncle Ben's Original Recipe. Plus, it already comes with all the flavoring you need.)

-1 cup of shredded Colby Jack cheese (This is my favorite. You can use any cheese you like.)

*You can add a can of diced tomatoes. I would suggest draining the liquid off, so the liquid ratio is not messed up while the rice cooks. Most people do, but I don't add the tomatoes.*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Wash the outside of the bell peppers well and dry off. Cut open the top of the pepper {Like you cut open a Jack-O-Lantern}. Clean out all the seeds inside the pepper. {Then, I usually cut the top pieces back to the stem, dice the extra pepper, and add it to the rice mixture.} Place peppers, upright, in an oven safe dish. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, brown the sausage. If it produces very little grease, keep it. If it produces more than about a tablespoon, drain off the excess grease. {You can use the grease it renders as your oil for the rice.}This is when you add the diced bell pepper pieces. Let them cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. In the same pan, cook the rice according to the package instructions. Once rice is ready, pour into the emptied bell peppers until you reach the top of the pepper. Top the pepper with the shredded cheese, and put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. {The cheese should be totally melted.} Enjoy!

*Sometimes, as an extra surprise, I add about a tablespoon of shredded cheese down inside the pepper before adding the stuffing.*

**Healthy Alternatives**
-You can replace the sausage with either lean ground beef or ground turkey.
-You can replace the Wild Rice with either brown rice or quinoa.
*If you use one of the substitutes, you will need to add the following seasonings to the stuffing mixture just before stuffing the peppers.*
      -2 teaspoons of garlic powder
      -1 teaspoon of dried parsley
      -1 teaspoon of onion powder
      - 1 teaspoon of powder or bullion cube of chicken bullion {add when water is added for the rice
            or quinoa}
      -salt and pepper to taste




Finished Product: