Stuffed Peppers with Turkey Italian Sausage, Ground Beef, and Mozzarella

This version of stuffed peppers with turkey Italian sausage, ground beef, tomato sauce, and mozzarella was one of the earliest recipes I posted when I started my blog back in April of 2005, and I'd been meaning to update it with a photo for the longest time. Recently I had a surplus of peppers (partly from my garden, hooray!) and decided it was time to make it again. Now, the second time writing about this recipe, I have photos I'm not 100% satisfied with, but I'm a much better cook than I am a photographer, so I loved the way this tasted! This is the type of thing I would make ahead and keep in the freezer to take to school for lunch, so even if you're only cooking for one or two people, do make the whole recipe and freeze some.

I know there are lots of people reading my blog who aren't dieting, but for those who are following the South Beach diet, there are three things I did here to reduce the saturated fat: I used turkey Italian sausage, I used low fat ground beef, and then rinsed the cooked ground beef to remove as much fat as I could, and I made sure to use a skim milk version of mozzarella cheese. If you follow those steps, this is a pretty South Beach friendly recipe for any phase. But whether or not you're a South Beach fan, this is quite delicious. Keep reading for more photos of how I made it.

I like the flavor of turkey sausage mixed with ground beef here, but to keep the fat content a bit lower, I rinse the ground beef with very hot water after it's browned, then let it drain while I cook the turkey sausage.

Mix in just enough of the tomato sauce to barely moisten the ground beef-sausage mixture so the filling isn't too soggy.

I like to square off the bottom of the peppers to keep them standing up in the dish when they're cooking.

It's also important to choose a pan that's small enough so the peppers are holding each other up while they bake. The little green ones here are from my garden, and I had just enough to fit in this crockery baking dish.

Phase One Stuffed Peppers with Turkey Italian Sausage, Ground Beef, and Mozarella

(Makes six servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

6 red or green peppers
1 pound extra lean ground beef (called beef mince outside of the U.S.)
1 pkg. (5 links) turkey Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
1 cup diced red pepper (tops of peppers)
olive oil for browning meat and veggies
Vege-sal to season meat (or use salt)
fresh ground black pepper, to season meat
2 cups grated low fat mozzarella cheese (I used skim milk mozzarella cheese with 5 grams fat per ounce)
1/2 cup grated parmesan (optional, I would use less mozarella if adding this)
1 cup (or slightly more) spicy tomato sauce with basil(I use my own Marinara sauce from the freezer so I know it is sugar free. Bottled sauce is fine, but check the label to get the one that is lowest in sugar.)

Preheat oven to 375. Cut tops off red peppers, making a deep enough cut that you have some red pepper to chop for the filling. If needed, "square" off the bottom of the pepper to make them stand up. Clean out inside of peppers and wash if needed. (I used to microwave the peppers for a few minutes to speed up the cooking time, but I've since decided I prefer to stuff the peppers raw, which keeps them a bit crisper.)

In very large frying pan, cook hamburger until lightly browned, then put in colander, rinse with very hot water to remove fat, and let drain while you prep other ingredients. In same frying pan, add a tiny amount of olive oil, squeeze turkey sausage out of links, and cook until lightly brown. I use a potato masher to break up the sausage into smaller bits. Add to hamburger in colander.

Add a bit more oil to pan and cook red pepper and onion for about 3-4 minutes, until barely starting to soften. Turn off heat and put meat back into pan with peppers and onions. Add about 1 cup tomato sauce, just enough to barely moisten the mixture. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Let mixture cool slightly, then mix in cheese.

Choose a glass or metal pan barely big enough to hold all the peppers standing up. Spray the pan with nonstick spray. Stuff each pepper with meat/veggie/cheese mixture, using a large spoon , piling it up on top and pressing in tightly until you use all the filling. Place peppers in pan touching each other. (You could use two small loaf pans if you don't have a baking dish small enough.)

Bake, covered with foil about 30 minutes. Take off foil and bake about 20 minutes more, until cheese is melted completely and top is slightly browned.

South Beach Suggestions:
This is a perfect dish for any phase of the South Beach Diet. For phase one, serve with Mary's Perfect Salad and Cauliflower Fried in Butter. For phase two or three, you could exchange the cauliflower for something like Barley with Dried and Fresh Mushrooms.

More Delicious Ways to Stuff Peppers:
(Recipes from other blogs may or may not be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Stuffed Peppers with Cabbage
Southwestern Stuffed Pepper
Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers from Smitten Kitchen
Feta-Stuffed Peppers from Seriously Good
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers from Almost Turkish Recipes
Stuffed Bell Peppers from Taste and Tell
Red Peppers with Cumin Scented Halloumi Cubes from Nami Nami
Sweet Italian Sausage Stuffed Red Peppers from French Kitchen in America
Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers from Chez Megane
Bell Pepper Stuffed with Rice and Mushrooms from Dinner for One

Things you might want to know:
You can get Kalyn's recipes by e-mail.
There's a great way to print recipes on Kalyn's Kitchen.
It's easy to find out who's hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week.
There are actual rules for Weekend Herb Blogging.
Here is another place where I write more about food.

Tags:
Food Recipes Cooking South Beach Diet Recipes
Low Carb Recipes Low Glycemic Index Recipes
Diabetes Friendly Recipes