Zucchini, Spinach, Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers (GF)

4.77 from 13 votes

Zucchini, Spinach, Meat and Rice Stuffed Peppers (GF)

A naturally Gluten-free and flavorful dish made of a ground beef and ground turkey meat sauce with spinach, zucchini, and rice... that is stuffed into bell peppers and baked until the flavors have melted together.

Prep Time35

Cook Time1 5

Total Time1 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Gluten-free

Servings: people

Author: Dominique

Ingredients

6 large bell peppers
4 cloves garlic , diced
1/2 cup diced yellow onion (this was 1 medium onion for me)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried parsley
4 Tbs tomato paste (Cento is Paleo)
2 cups strained tomatoes or marinara sauce
1 cup white rice
2 cups zucchini , sliced and quartered ( 2 small)
a 6 ounce bag of fresh spinach
2 cups cherry tomatoes ,cut in half

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Cut the tops of the bell peppers off and set them aside. Remove the seeds inside the peppers and throw them away. Then, put the bell peppers, with their tops back on into a large baking pan ( 9 in x 13 in) and cook them for 25 minutes, then remove them and set them aside.
While the bell peppers are cooking, cook the rice. Follow the instructions for the type of rice that you have.( For me it was to mix 1 cup rice with 2 cups of water and to cook it for 20 minutes.)
Then, put the diced garlic, diced onion and olive oil into a large sauté pan. Heat over medium heat. Mix and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add the ground turkey and ground beef to the pan, and break it up into small pieces. Then add the dried basil, dried oregano, salt, ground black pepper, paprika, and parsley and mix into the meat. Cook the meat until it has browned, about 7- 10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste to the pan and mix. Then, add 2 cups of strained tomatoes or marina sauce to the pan. Mix again. Remove the pan from heat. Add the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, spinach and cooked rice to the pan and mix.
Then, fill the hollowed out peppers with some of the spinach, zucchini, ground meat and rice mixture. Put the tops back on top of each pepper. Then pour the remaining mixture around the peppers in the pan. Make sure it is evenly distributed.
Put the pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, until the tops of the peppers have browned and become very soft.
Note: If you want them to be extra browned, broil them for a few minutes at the end.

Nutrition