Affordable, no-fuss weeknight meal: Stuffed peppers are 'hearty, healthy and family-friendly'
Cooking healthy meals during the week can be a challenge at times, given today's work, family and school commitments.
Rather than ordering pizza, relying on fast food or grabbing just about anything, try this easy-prep recipe.
It's affordable, family-friendly and simple to prepare.
The choice of stuffed peppers is a winner on a busy weeknight.
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"These stuffed peppers are not only easy to make but also a hearty, healthy and family-friendly dish perfect for the fall and winter," Chef Brian Pancir, corporate culinary director of Thompson Restaurants in Arlington, Virginia, told Fox News Digital.
"It also can accommodate family budgets."
Chef Brian Pancir is corporate culinary director of Thompson Restaurants in Arlington, Virginia. He shared his Stuffed Peppers recipe (below) with Fox News Digital. (Brian Pancir )
These stuffed peppers take roughly 20 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook, he said.
You can also prep this meal in advance.
Then, just pop it in the oven when you’re ready to cook dinner.
Chef Pancir shared his recipe with Fox News Digital.
For this Stuffed Peppers recipe from Chef Brian Pancir, you'll need 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey, 3 garlic cloves minced, 1 onion finely diced, half a cup of kale — and more. See the full list of ingredients below. (Brian Pancir )
Chef Brian Pancir's Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
3 garlic cloves minced
1 onion fine diced
½ cup kale
2 tablespoons fine-diced green onion
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fine-diced jalapeño
½ teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon dry oregano
1 cup quinoa
1½ cup mozzarella cheese
4 bell peppers whole
2 cups tomato sauce
2 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
This recipe — Chef Brian Pancir's Stuffed Peppers — doesn't take long to make. It's "a hearty, healthy and family-friendly dish," said Chef Pancir. (Chef Brian Pancir )
Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and season with salt/pepper and roast for 15 minutes and put aside and rest and cool.
3. In a sauce pot, add the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and kale and cook for 5 minutes until 90% of the stock has been absorbed into the quinoa and then cover, set aside and let cool.
4. In a mixing bowl, add the ground beef or ground turkey, onion, garlic, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, cumin, oregano, green onion and jalapeño — and cook in a saucepan till the ground beef or turkey is cooked. Place back in mixing bowl.
For this stuffed pepper recipe, you'll need to cut the tops off four bell peppers, season them with salt/pepper — and roast for 15 minutes. Then, put aside to rest and cool while you prepare the rest of the recipe. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
5. Add the cooled down quinoa/kale to the meat and mix until incorporated in the mixing bowl.
6. Take the mixed ingredients and stuff the peppers. Then, top the stuffed pepper with the mozzarella cheese.
7. Line the baking dish on the bottom with tomato sauce, add and arrange stuffed peppers in the dish, cover with tomato sauce and cook at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
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8. Serve and enjoy!
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Recipe shared with Fox News Digital by Chef Brian Pancir.
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