Aunt Rocky’s Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers (Low Carb, Grain-Free)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray cooking spray in a baking pan big enough to hold all the halved peppers lying flat cut side up. Set aside.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise (down through the stem, or just beside the stem). Remove seeds and membranes. Put peppers in a microwaveable dish and splash with a tablespoon of water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain well, and lay the peppers out in the baking pan or casserole big enough for them to lay flat with their cut sides up.

Brown ground beef with onion in a large skillet. Give the meat a light sprinkle of salt and pepper while cooking. Cook until onions are translucent and water from meat has evaporated. Drain the grease.

While meat is cooking, drain olives and set aside 6 halves or slices to use as garnish.

Add garlic to cooked meat, and continue cooking for another minute. Add enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, drained olives, remaining spices, and 1 cup of the cheese to the hamburger. Stir until cheese is completely melted and mixture has thickened somewhat.

Divide enchilada stuffing evenly among pepper cups. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. If you reserved any of the olive halves/slices, put them on top of the cheese. This is just for presentation, so if you forgot to set some aside, don’t worry about it.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese on top begins to brown. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve.

Leftovers may be frozen.

Notes:
• I stuffed both red and green bell peppers, and I like the red much better for this dish. They give it a sweetness the green does not impart. The green bell peppers have 1 less carb per serving. To improve macros, I recommend serving with some avocado slices on the side.
• Use any enchilada sauce that is gluten free, sugar free, and has no added tomato sauce.
• You’ll be using only 1/2 of a small can of tomato sauce. Be sure you use one with no added sugar. You can freeze the other half in a freezer bag and save to use next time, or make 2 batches at one time and freeze the extras to be warmed and served later.
• Nutrition estimates are based on My Fitness Pal’s online recipe analyzer. Brand names are included only to assure more accurate estimates. The recipe is stored on and available to MFP users for logging in their food diaries.
• For more Atkins/low carb/Keto recipes and cooking tips, look for Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb Recipes & Tips Group on Facebook, or follow me on Pinterest at auntrocky2.

Per serving (using red bell peppers): Calories 320, Total Fat 21 g, Saturated Fat 8 g , Sodium 474 mg, Potassium 31 mg, Total Carbohydrate 12 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Net Carbs 10* g, Sugars 6 g, Protein 21 g. Macros: 60% fat, 27% protein, 13% carbs.

© December 17, 2018 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s.