The Best Whole30 Stuffed Peppers (gluten-free, paleo)

Ingredients and substitutions: 

• Sweet bell peppers - you can use any colour of sweet bell pepper that you like including red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, orange bell peppers or green bell peppers. I like to use a few different colours so that it looks really pretty in the pan. 
• Coconut oil - this is the fat used to sauté the ground beef. You could swap this for another fat or oil such as ghee or avocado oil.
• Lean ground beef - this is the protein used for this recipe. You could swap the ground beef for ground chicken, ground pork or ground turkey.
• Canned chopped tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes - to help make the delicious Mexican inspired sauce for these healthy stuffed peppers. 
• Onion - to help give these Whole30 stuffed peppers so much flavour. You can use any type of onion that you like including white onion, red onion, yellow onion, sweet onion, or green onion.
• Cauliflower rice - to keep these stuffed peppers grain free and gluten free and packed full of vegetables. You can either rice your own cauliflower florets using a food processor or hand grater, or buy pre-chopped cauliflower rice.
• Spices - the combination of dried oregano, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper combine to give this recipe a fun Mexican flavour. 

How to make Whole30 stuffed peppers: 

1. Step 1: First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and while it is preheating cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place the pepper halves cut side down in a baking dish or casserole dish with about half an inch of water. Once the oven has come to temperature cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

2. Step 2: While the peppers are baking, place a large pan or skillet on the stovetop on medium heat. Add the coconut oil to the pan and allow it to melt. Once melted add the chopped onion and cook it until it's translucent.

3. Step 3: Now add the ground beef to the frying pan and cook until it's browned and no longer pink. Stir the ground meat regularly to break it apart and ensure it cooks evenly.

4. Step 4: ​Add the remaining ingredients to the pan with the meat mixture and cook everything together for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly to break apart the riced cauliflower until it is mixed in.

5. Step 5: ​Once the peppers have finished baking, remove the peppers from the pan and drain any remaining water from the pan and the peppers. Fill the bell peppers with the meat and tomato sauce mixture and place them back into the casserole dish (cut side up). Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then remove the foil and bake the peppers uncovered for another 10-15 minutes. 

6. Step 6: Let the stuffed peppers cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

How to serve:

These Whole30 stuffed peppers are delicious served as is, but you could also add other toppings or side dishes. Here are a few of my favourite ways to serve this dish:

• Top them with mango salsa or mango habanero salsa.
• Top them with dairy free sour cream or regular sour cream if you tolerate dairy.
• Top these Whole30 stuffed peppers with healthy chunky guacamole or avocado.
• Top these paleo stuffed peppers with fresh cilantro or chopped green onion.
• If you tolerate dairy you can add some shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded cheddar cheese before serving.
• If you like a little spice, top these peppers with hot sauce or vegan buffalo sauce.

How to store:

Store any leftover Whole30 stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.