Italian Stuffed Peppers with Meat Sauce
This fresh, flavorful take on classic Italian Stuffed Peppers is easy to throw together for an extra hearty, filling meal during the week. With savory meat sauce and creamy cottage cheese, this protein packed meal is simple and family-approved.
Equipment
- baking dish
- sauce pan
- tin foil
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers Any color, but I prefer red and yellow bell peppers as they are the sweetest
- 2 cups meat sauce Add 1lb of cooked ground beef to my homemade marinara, or pick up a jar of store-bought sauce like this one)
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 T Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp salt I use coarse salt for cooking
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese Buy a block and shred your own for the best taste and melt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash 3 large bell peppers and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes. Place peppers in a 9x13 baking dish and pour 2 cups of water along the edges of pan. Microwave on high for 5 mins to soften peppers.
- While peppers soften, warm 2 cups of meat sauce in a in a sauce pan on the stove over medium- high heat.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1 T Italian seasoning and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir until well mixed.
- Using hot pads, remove dish of peppers from microwave. Line paper towels on your counter, remove peppers from water bath and let them dry on towel. Pour out water from baking pan and dry it. Scoop 1/2 cup of the meat sauce onto the bottom of the pan and spread evenly before transferring the softened peppers back into the pan. Fill each pepper equally with a scoop of the cottage cheese mixture followed by a scoop of the meat sauce.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the peppers. Cover with tin foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 mins until cheese is bubbly and peppers are tender.
Notes
Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days, in an airtight container to keep peppers fresh.
Serve with:
- Garlic bread or cheesy breadsticks
- Side salads or Caesar salads
- Roasted veggies
- Fresh green beans
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Pasta with marinara sauce
Nutrition
Calories: 302kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 26gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 510mgPotassium: 416mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2117IUVitamin C: 76mgCalcium: 251mgIron: 2mg
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