Sloppy Spinach Stuffed Peppers – WLS Recipe
Sloppy Spinach Stuffed Peppers – WLS Recipe
Sounds like a lovely name, huh?
Sloppy = Sloppy Joes
Spinach = Because I snuck that in there.
Stuffed Pepper = see photo above
Here’s what happened. I had clearly written down some sort of stuffed pepper in my meal plan for the week. However, when it came time for the meal…I couldn’t find the recipe or remember what I was doing. Soooo I searched my pantry/freezer/fridge and threw this meal together. I had a package of sloppy joe seasoning from Mrs. Dash (see note below on this…) and while I didn’t have the tomato paste it called for, I did have a can of tomato JUICE leftover (from a soup, not Bloody Marys just to clarify.) I also had a bag of frozen spinach and the beef I knew was meant to be for the peppers in the first place! The seasoning packet called for a can of tomato paste and water so I used only the juice instead of extra water. Either way!
Stuffed peppers are a GREAT meal for pre or post-op bariatric surgery patients. Protein and veggies all in one! The options for variety are endless; for example these Simple Italian Stuffed Peppers or these Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers. They also reheat perfectly and are a great portion size for Sleeves, Bypass, DS and Bands.
Post-ops! Remember to keep your bites the size of a PEANUT (yes…seriously) and focus on two bites of the protein for every one bite of the vegetable. Although we snuck in that spinach inside the protein! Aha!!
*Note on Mrs. Dash seasoning: it wasn’t until I tried a bite of the meat mixture that I realized the taste was pretty sweet. I took a look at the package and sure enough, the first ingredient is sugar. Dang it. But I made peace with it because dividing the package between 4 stuffed peppers…each pepper would come out to have 8 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of sugar. It could be worse (like eating out or eating my sloppy joe on a bun!) and the protein was still higher than the carbs thanks to the lean ground beef. Next time, I will pay more attention to seasonings with less sugar!
Sloppy Spinach Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 each yellow bell pepper halved and seeded
- 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
- 1 pkt sloppy joe seasoning see note above
- 1 can tomato juice see note above
- 1 cup frozen spinach thawed per package instructions
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350. Meanwhile, thaw frozen spinach and begin browning ground beef over the stovetop.
- Drain ground beef and return to low heat. Add spinach to the pan and stir, heating through for about one minute.
- Add seasoning packet and tomato sauce.
- Place bell pepper halves on a baking stone or baking pan. Divide meat mixture evenly among bell peppers. Refrigerate any leftover meat for another meal. Bake for 15 minutes or until desired texture of bell pepper has been reached. Allow to cool and serve.
