Italian Beef Skillet Pasta + Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
You get two meals out of this tasty recipe that are perfect for freezing or eating later in the week
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Total Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings 4people (2 meals each)
Author Meme
Ingredients
4teaspoonolive oildivided
1lblean ground beefat least 90/10
6bell peppers 2 diced and 4 cut in half with ribs & seeds removed {assorted colors}
1cupdiced carrotsabout 2-3 large carrots
2cupsdiced onionabout 1 large onion
8ozchopped mushroomsabout 3 cups
3clovesminced garlic
8ouncecan no salt added tomato sauce
2(15 ounce)cans no salt added tomatoes
2cupswater
2cupspasta about 5 oz
1cuppart skim ricotta cheese
¼cupshredded Parmesan cheese
3cupscooked quinoa
1cupshredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Cook peppers cut side down in 400 degree oven for 7 minutes.
Remove from oven, flip cut side up. Set aside.
In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up clumps with a wooden spoon, until done. Drain well and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoon oil over medium heat in a large Dutch or French oven. Sauté the 2 diced bell peppers, diced carrots, and diced onion. Cook until vegetables have softened and lightly browned. Stir in garlic. Cook about 1 minutes, stirring constantly.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet (I used the same pan I cooked the ground beef in. Just drain the beef and wipe out the pan before adding oil & mushrooms). Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes until they release their juices.
In the Dutch or French oven with the vegetables, stir in tomato sauce and both cans of tomatoes with their juices. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
Stir in reserved cooked ground beef and mushrooms.
Take out 2 ½ cups vegetable-beef mixtures and set aside.
To the vegetable-beef mixture, add the 2 cups water and pasta. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until pasta is al dente. {add more water if needed}
Remove from heat. Spoon ricotta over pasta mixture and top with Parmesan cheese. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
To make: Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers
Combine the reserved 2 ½ cups vegetable-beef mixture and the 3 cups cooked quinoa.
Fill each bell pepper half with about ⅔ cup mixture.
Top stuffed bell peppers with 2 tablespoons mozzarella each.
Cover and refrigerate until using. They keep covered in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
WHEN READY TO EAT: Preheat the broiler.
Broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Be careful not to broil too long or the cheese will burn.