The other night, I went to the gym after work, came home starving, and stared blankly into the fridge.

I’m trying not to waste any food, so that means I’ve been grocery shopping less so that I don’t end up throwing out food. This was one of those times where I was in between grocery hauls and had minimal dinner options, so I had to improvise. I had thawed ground turkey, a few veggies, and that was about it. I considered pasta but I’m attempting to cut down on carbs, and then stuffed peppers came to mind! Stuffed peppers are one of those staple, easy, go-to meals. You can switch it up with what you have on hand, and I love those kinds of recipes!

This recipe makes 6 peppers, but I only had 4 so I had filling leftover (not a bad thing, I topped it on spaghetti squash later in the week!)

You Need:

-6 bell peppers the color of your choice

-1 pound ground turkey, chicken, or beef

-1 large onion

-1 medium yellow squash

-1 medium zucchini

-1 medium tomato

-3 handfuls spinach

-2 cups tomato sauce

-2 cloves of garlic

**Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper (choose your own amount of seasoning to cater to your taste.. I used about 1 tablespoon of each.)

First, brown your ground turkey with the seasonings. Once it is fully cooked, add your onion, tomato, zucchini, garlic, and squash. Cook on medium heat until they have begun to cook down.

Once they cook down, add handfuls of spinach. I used a ‘power mixture’ of baby spinach, bok choy, and red & green chard. I bought this huge bag at Walmart for less than $3.00.

Let the spinach cook down in the mixture. This will take less than a minute, you don’t want it to wilt too much!

Then stir in 2 cups of tomato sauce- I like Hunt’s, but use what you prefer!

Turn your heat on low, and set the mixture aside. Wash your bell peppers and cut the tops directly off in a straight line. Clean out the insides!

I just realized that I haven’t told you guys! A few months ago, Dj and I adopted two foster kitten brothers. They help me in the kitchen pretty frequently. 😉

Spoon in the mixture into your peppers. I would guess-timate that this is about a cupish? But I didn’t measure. I just fill the peppers to the top.

Place the tops back on the peppers.

Fill the bottom of this pan about an inch high. The water should cover about 1/5 of the peppers.

The water will allow the peppers to steam, so they will cook pretty quickly!

Place in an oven heated to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. You’ll be able to tell when they’re done– remember that the filling is fully cooked already, so you just want to soften the peppers.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then serve up!

• CALORIES PER PEPPER: about 174

Enjoy!

Looking for other yummy carb-free meals? Check out the recipes below! Just click on the name of the meal you find most appealing and it will automatically bring you to the post.

Shredded Chicken Burrito Bowls

Zesty Fiesta Soup- in the crockpot!

Spaghetti Squash Primavera 

Honey Red Chili Pepper Chicken

Excuse me as I become the heart-eyed emoji and obsess over my kitties…