Spicy Bean Stuffed Peppers + Spinach
Wow, this was another one of those great dinner combos that left my palate satisfied and my stomach full, which equals an emotionally satisfied eater. Plus, they took a long time to eat so I felt like I had a quality dinner. It’s a 100% KERF invention too – I just brainstormed what we would have on hand this week and these peppers came together:
Stuffing:
- 1.5 cups cooked pinto and navy beans (you can go crazy with bean creativity here – use whatever you like, canned or dried)
- 1 serving cooked bulgur
- 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 tbsp pickled jalapeño, diced
- Cumin, oregano, hot sauce, black peppercorns, S+P – any seasonings you like!
Mix all ingredients together and stuff 2 bell peppers thusly:
Bake in a 400* oven for about 20 minutes. Top with cheese (we used muenster – half a slice on each pepper) and bake until cheese is melted:
Can we say YUM!? And super filling too!
Up close and personal beans and bulgur:
We also sauteed some bagged spinach in cooking spray along with 2 slices of turkey bacon. We took it out before it was completely wilted to keep some volume, which I really enjoyed! I topped mine with some Cholula hot sauce to complete the spicy theme –
Lastly, I had half a serving of Kashi crackers. I totally didn’t need them, but they made a great sweet nutty compliment to the meal –
All together with tea with a splash of skim –
This dinner was about 550 kcal, 25 grams of fiber, and 30 grams of protein.
My New Best Friend
……..is a red pepper hummus sandwich! You know how I said I wasn’t that full? Well that sandwich (and salad and tea) carried me from 1 p.m. until dinner at 6:45!! I came out of Chem lab the least hungry I’ve been all semester. Maybe my stomach was in a funk, but I’m sure not complaining! It was a lot of hummus and bread – perhaps the perfect combo of nutrients. I started to get moderately hungry around 5:30, but by then it was time to make my lunch for tomorrow and start dinner prep. I often taste things as I prep – lick the yogurt spoon, eat a spinach leaf, taste the bean stuffing to see if it’s got the right ingredients – and I think that always buys me an hour or so until dinner is ready (although this dinner took about 30 minutes from start to finish.) (And I’m also aware of what I’m eating so I know if it’s making a dent in my calories or not – a spinach leaf? I don’t think so. And the bite of stuffing was “accounted for” because I was going to eat it anyways).
So anyways, I’m definitely going back for another sandwich soon!
Evening Off
I’m caught up on school work for the moment as well as blog questions! (Oh no – there’s another one!!) I’ve been trying to read Eat, Pray, Love all week but I keep getting distracted and end up looking at the clock to see it’s past my bedtime. So tonight I am headed upstairs to draw a hot bath and read in the tub!! Well, at least for 10-15 minutes. Then it’s into my cozy bed. Ahhh, I’m already excited.
VeggieGirl says
No doubt that your dinner tonight would leave you feeling satisfied – it was packed with fiber, protein, and volume!! Looks delicious!!
I knew that your lunch-sandwich would fill you up, after you had time to digest it – I still can’t get over how delectable that red-pepper hummus sounds; yum!!
Enjoy your evening off!! :0)
Mel says
Kath Ive noticed that you haven’t been having you usual piece or two of chocolate after your meals lately. Any reason?
chandra says
Stuffed peppers are one of my FAVORITES!!! Yum. Now I want to make them for dinner tomorrow night… thanks for the craving! 🙂
Gemma says
Has anyone noticed that the ‘Eat Like Me’ blog has died? It’s a ghost town over there. I guess everyone moved on?
Kate says
Yum, I love stuffed peppers! Something hot and spicy always sounds appealing this time of the year.
Heather K says
Those look and sound soo good! I’m going to have to make some this weekend 🙂
Romina says
Wow! Those look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Must’ve tasted even better with cheese on top 😉
ppp says
i adore stuffed bell pepps- and you can stuff them with so many different things!
I saute zucchinis, ground turkey and seasoning, add a *little* whole wheat couscous and a *little* marinara, and stuff those in the peppers. top with more marinara and shredded mozz and bake for 15 mins.
I find they are better if you steam the peppers beforehand – that way the peppers are a little less crunch and fit more with the rest of the warm soft stuff – but thats a personal preference!
Anyway – good dinner once again, kath! I am off to make mine now~~~
Katie says
SO funny! I made stuffed peppers tonight too. So yummy. Green peppers are my favorite food ever. Alwasy have been. 🙂
Ana says
eatlikeme made almost the exact same dinner several nights ago (your inspiration kath?) and she said it filled her up well, too! have to try these. cristin used red peppers, though, and they’re my favorite so i think i’ll be using them! stuffed with ground beef and melted cheese on top-like a healthy taco! mmmm….bulgar with butter melted in on the side-yup! i’m definitely doing that for dinner tomorrow!
grace says
I love stuffed peppers! Your’s sound so good. I love how all of your meals are simple, quick, and super tasty. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rachel Ray, but I think you would come out on top with flavorful 30 minute meals. Plus, your’s are super healthy!
By the way, with the hummus sandwich, that’s what happens to me. That’s why I love going to real deli’s for sandwiches!
Betsy says
wow!!! those look fantastic! and everything in them i love! i think it’s going to be on my menu soon…
pinklilly says
* dinner looks so tasty – i’ll have to give it a try soon!
* i came across this website full of fruit and veggie information/recipes/facts and thought i would share it: http://www.fruitandveggieguru.com
* ana- i noticed the exact same thing on eatlikeme! both of their great minds must think alike! i adore both sites.
kay says
YUM! It looks sooooo good!! I love all your KERF creations; it may be a good cookbook one day! I would definately buy it 🙂
How often do you weigh yourself if at all? I am trying not to weigh myself too much but I find it hard to stop because it is kind of a habit.
Tina O. says
Those look great! On Sunday I made a big pot of ‘stuffed pepper soup’. It is SO good. I got the recipe from Roni’s blog and I had it before at a local restaurant. The thing I like about the soup is I can make a big pot to eat all week, I can freeze some (obviously) and it just seems so much easier for me. You should try it sometime. Even my husband loves it and he doesn’t like anything I make lately!
LT says
I’m going to buy vital wheat gluten to make chickpea cutlets but have no idea what else to do with it……any suggestions are appreciated!!
melissa says
Totally random question, but does Matt share you love of TLC crackers? Did he have them with the stuffed peppers too?
jenna says
omg those peppers look amazing. I’ve never tried to make stuffed peppers but I’ve always looked at recipes and wanted to try…especially after seeing this tonight!!! Such a simple yet satisfying meal! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
smilesara says
hi kath,
a follow-up question from earlier about spaghetti squash — according to the “exchange system,” does spaghetti squash ‘count’ as a vegetable like summer squash/zucchini or is it considered an exchange of carbohydrate like acorn squash (and other starchy vegetables like potatoes/sweet potatoes)? I know you aren’t an RD yet, but I thought I’d ask…
btw, thanks for answering that question about pommelo the other day — i didn’t think to look up alternate spelling (pummelo), so thanks for doing the thinking for me!
Amandamoo says
Ummm… is it just me or did your list of favorite things and link to your Amazon store disappear?!?!?
Is it just me? It’s been a long day, it could totally be just me!
Thanks!
Kiala says
I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT EAT LIKE ME.
The pictures aren’t as pretty.
Sorry, eat like me.
Kath says
Mel,
No reason other than we ate all the chocolates so now there aren’t any to eat!
Pinklilly,
Thank you for sharing that site!!! It’s super helpful – I’m going to post it today. Thanks!
Kay,
I weigh myself maybe once every 2-3 months (just did a week and a half ago after about a 2 month hiatus). While I weighed myself daily throughout my weight loss and encourage other losers to do the same so they can learn their body rhythms, I think in maintenance the whole ‘go by how you feel and how your clothes fit’ is a better approach. But certainly ‘to each her own’ applies here!
Melissa,
No Matt doesn’t share my love for Kashis – thank goodness or we’d be broke! But he does like them a lot and eats them. He had a tortilla his mom gave us with his dinner, which is why I was like “Hey, I want something to go with my dinner too!”
smilesara,
I did some Google searching and couldn’t figure out if spaghetti squash would be starchy or vegetable, but based on the waterier texture to acorn/butternut I would say it’s most similar to yellow squash in flavor and texture.
AmandaMoo,
It’s gone from the sidebar, but it’s still on the Real Food page! I thought with the BlogHer Ad and the new Comments section that the Amazon store was taking up too much space. Do you want it back??
Kath
evangeline says
those look good. i made stuffed peppers last night too! I found red and yellow peppers on sale (very cheap!) last week. i stuffed them with wild rice, sauteed mushrooms, toasted almonds, onions and garlic (sauteed in lemon ginger broth w/red pepper flakes). it was a really tasty, filling creation–much better than the meatloaf stuffed peppers i was forced to eat as a child!
Amandamoo says
Whew!
Thanks Kath! I went to look for it and it was gone so I freaked!
I agree that the sidebar would be pretty long with the blogher ad and everything else plus the amazon list so you can leave it over on the real food page, I think.
Thanks again!
lisa says
If you have your own garden and grow zucchini, let one keep growing until it get about 6 inches around and use stuff that with whatever you use to stuff your peppers. Cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out all the seeds, fill with your stuffing and bake. Delicious!