Unstuffed Bell Peppers

I LOVE stuffed bell peppers and have found a way to enjoy them, without the fuss of stuffing the little buggers.

Wanna make them, too? Cool! Well here's what you'll need:

1 onion

2 bell peppers

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1.5 pounds of ground beef

3 teaspoons of basil

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 teaspoon of pepper

1 can of stewed tomatoes

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

First, put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Then you'll need to dice the onion and bell pepper (add the tablespoon of minced garlic as well) and then simmer them in the skillet, covered, until they're as soft as you like them. 

When that's done, add the ground beef, breaking it up just a bit. Don't mince it of tho; you want it to be kinda chunky.

Along with the ground beef, add the basil, oregano and pepper.

cover and cook (flipping occasionally) until the meat is browned.

When the meat has been browned, drain the grease from the skillet.

Next, add the can of stewed tomatoes. I add mine by hand, squishing a couple at a time into the skillet, to break them up. I also don't add the liquid from the can; I just allow what comes out when I added the tomatoes. Then add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and the 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, and a bit more pepper.

Now mix that up and let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

This make 4 servings :)

Enjoy!

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Whew! Finally! 

You all KNOW how many times I've tried to make this at home because well, I'm going to go broke if I don't stop eating at Panera's. But in the past, it hasn't turned out very well. The cheese clumped up or got stringy, the flavor has never been right and you certainly couldn't eat any leftovers later. 

But THIS one, my people ... this one is THE ONE. 

And just so you know, it weighs in at half the calories 

as it's famous predecessor ... in case that matters to you :)

Here are the ingredients:

1 tbsp butter.

1 onion, diced.

2 teaspoons of minced garlic.

1 tsp of thyme

1/2 grated carrot.

2 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 large bunch broccoli cut into florets OR, a half bag of frozen.

8 ounces regular cream cheese, softened.

1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated.

Salt and Pepper.

Total time to make from prep to finished is about 

20 minutes. 25 minutes if you count the optional dancing and the best part is ... 

you can put the leftovers in the fridge (or portion it out in separate containers)

and heat it up the next day, the day after that, or the day after THAT! 

The cheese never separates, sticks or clumps when re-heated 

via stove or microwave.

Serves 4-5 depending on your appetite :)

I am so confident you will like this that I'll even wait for you to gather your ingredients. Go ahead, I'll wait ... shoo ... go! ... 

Okay! Now here we go:

1. Grab your medium sized soup pot and put it on the stove over a

medium-low heat, then add your butter to the pan and melt it.

2. Toss in the diced onions, garlic, thyme and a little salt and pepper. 

Simmer this until the onions are translucent.

3. Now pour in the vegetable/chicken stock and add the 

grated carrot and bring it to another simmer.

(This is where you'll start to feel giddy over the aroma. 

Feel free to dance around the kitchen at this point)

4. Once it starts to simmer, add the broccoli and a little more 

salt and pepper. Let this simmer again just until the broccoli 

gets tender. Typically about 2-5 minutes.

5. Once the broccoli is tender enough, whisk in the cream cheese first 

until blended, and then the cheddar cheese after that.

6. Allow it to simmer one last time for about 5 more minutes then taste, 

adjust salt and pepper to your liking, and then eat!

Right On! Now enjoy!

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All natural ingredients

No preservatives

Sugar free

Gluten free

Trans fat free

Low sodium

YAY! And ...

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