Beef, Eggplant, & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
5 bell peppers
1 lb grass fed ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1-3 tsp Red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup water
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1/3-cup fresh chopped parsley
5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Pre heat oven to 350
Halve and seed the bell peppers. Lay the peppers in single file on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for twenty minutes.
In the meantime, heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a large non-stick sauté pan and add in ground beef along with some salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat and cook for about five minutes or until the meat as browned. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add the remainder of the olive oil into the pan along with the onions, and garlic. Cook for about three minutes before stirring in the eggplant, red pepper flakes, and another kiss of salt and pepper. Cook until the all of the veggies are soft and tender (this will take about ten or fifteen minutes). If the pan seems dry add a splash of water.
Add the tomato paste and water to the veggies and stir until all the veggies have been coated with the tomatoes. Add the beef back to the pan along with the quinoa and adjust the seasonings. Shut off the heat and stir in the parsley.
Stuff each pepper with about a half-cup of beef and quinoa filling (or as much as it takes to fill the pepper). Pop the peppers back into the oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the oven and top each pepper with one tablespoon of cheese and then finish them in the oven for another five minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Enjoy!
Makes 10 servings.
