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Meal Prep Unstuffed Pepper Bowls
These Meal Prep Unstuffed Pepper Bowls are loaded with flavor and packed with veggies like zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and peppers, of course! Pair with your fave rice or other side for the perfect make-ahead lunch!
- Total Time30 minutes
- Yield4-5 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice of choice + cooking liquid
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 1 teaspoon each fine sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
- 2 green bell peppers, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, extra liquid drained
- 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella or pepper jack cheese
Instructions
- Cook rice: Prepare your preferred rice (1 1/2 cups) according to package directions in water or broth (I generally make jasmine rice with chicken broth in my Instant Pot).
- Cook the meat: Place a large deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef (1 pound), salt and pepper (~ 1 teaspoon each). Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook the meat for about 4-5 minutes or until just barely cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Add the veggies: While the meat continues to cook, add the peppers (2 green 1 red, finely diced) and onions (1/2 medium, finely diced) to the same pan and cook until beginning to soften, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the garlic (4 cloves minced) and zucchini (1 small, quartered and sliced), and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Make it saucy: Finally, add the tomato sauce (1-8 ounce can), diced tomatoes (1-14.5 ounce can), worcestershire sauce (3 tablespoons), along with salt & pepper (~1/4 teaspoon each) to season. Reduce heat to low and cook for 3-4 minutes, letting it simmer and bubble, stirring occasionally. Add additional salt & pepper to taste.
- Meal prep it: If serving immediately, add shredded cheese (3/4 cup) and cover for 90 seconds to melt. For meal prep, add about 1/2 cup or so cooked rice to each of four or five meal prep containers. Portion the unstuffed pepper mixture into each meal prep container and add a heavy sprinkle of cheese. Store for up to four days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Zucchini is optional – I added it because it’s zucchini season and extra veggies are never a bad idea. Skip the zucchini to reduce volume and keep this recipe at 4 servings.
Adapted from Stuffed Bell Peppers from Food Network. Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal. Video added 10/14/22.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunches
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Spanish-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 meal prep bowl
- Calories: 645
- Sugar: 11g
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 77g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 32g