One Pan Meal
Part of the “One Pan, One Pot, Budget Meal Plan”!
I love the idea of a stuffed pepper, but it always just felt like so much work, having to essentially create a dinner and then put it inside a pepper and cook it again.
Like, how unnecessary is that? I have starving children over here, according to them as soon as they get home from school, and I just DO NOT HAVE THE TIME.
So, I just went and unstuffed these babies and made it into an easy simple meal for my family and can’t wait to share it with you.
Unstuffed “Stuffed” Peppers
Hearty and filling casserole style dish filled with veggies and cheese to satisfy the whole family.
Equipment
- 1 Heavy pan or pot
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp, and then 2 Tbsp
- 1 lb Ground Beef any ground meat would work: turkey, chicken, pork.
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning split
- 2-3 Bell Peppers – any color diced
- 1 medium Yellow Onion diced
- 1 tsp Canned Minced Garlic
- 1 small can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 small can Tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Jack shredded
- 1.5 cups Beef Broth any broth will work here
- 1.5 cups Long Grain Rice
- 1.25 cups Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your olive oil over medium high heat in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add ground beef and cook until browned through. Add 1/2 your Italian seasoning and stir. Salt and Pepper to taste. Remove from pan into separate bowl.
- Add more olive oil to the pan and throw in the onions and peppers. Season with remaining Italian Seasoning, and the minced garlic. Then, salt lightly and cook until soft and translucent. Remove veggies into bowl with ground beef.
- Add rice to the pan and let heat up while stirring for about 30 seconds. Pour in water and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and cover for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.
- Once rice is cooked, stir in the canned, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add both types of cheese, and ground beef and veggies you set aside earlier. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a small salad or by itself!
Notes
I really get upset when recipes don’t use a whole can of something. Like what am I supposed to do with an eighth of a can of sauce, Becky?!
When I talk about 1 Tbsp, 2 Tbsp olive oil. I really mean I eye up the pan and pour until I make the “meh” sound. That is the perfect measure every time.
To make this creamier, throw in 4 oz. of cream cheese when you add the shredded cheeses.
Top with some breadcrumbs and stick in the oven for a few minutes at the end to create a crunchy crust on the top.
This would be delicious with ground italian sausage instead of beef!
COST CUTTING IDEAS:
- Use a cheaper type of meat, like ground turkey.
- Use all water instead of 1/2 broth.
- Use any type of onion you have already from other meals through the week.
- Double the rice and tomatoes and stretch the beef to make 2 batches at once. Throw the second batch into a casserole dish and freeze it to make for another meal. Thaw, top with some fresh cheese and bake before serving.
