Stuffed peppers are a great dinner for any money savvy meal because it is an all-in-one kind of dish: meat, vegetables, and rice. I buy the ground beef when it is on sale and freeze it; then I always have some in my freezer to use when I need it. This is also a meal that I would plan on making when the red, yellow, and orange bell peppers are on sale (or fresh from my own garden– which costs next to nothing!), otherwise, they can be pretty expensive. Green peppers can also be more more affordable alternative, but I find these a little less sweet than the red, yellow, or orange.
STUFFED PEPPERS
INGREDIENTS
5 large bell peppers
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 onion
2-3 baby protabella mushrooms (optional)
1 large can chopped tomoatoes
1/2 c cooked rice
shredded cheese, colby jack
salt, pepper, Nature’s Seasoning or Seasoned Salt to taste
Clean peppers, removing seeds and cut approximately 1/2 inch off the top (to saute with onion). Brown ground beef. (I cook 1 lb of ground beef and set aside the other 1/2 lb for the next meal). Add onion, pepper pieces, and finely chopped muchrooms in with beef and finish cooking. Add crushed tomatoes, along with additional seasonings. Add cooked rice and stir together. Fill bell peppers with beef and rice mixture, top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45-60 minutes.
The next day, you can use the leftover peppers (along with the 1/2 lb ground beef, which we set aside) to make a whole new meal.
Put remaining ground beef, onions, peppers and mushrooms in pan. Cut up leftover stuffed peppers and add to pan. All of these ingredients go perfectly with our next-day meal plan: Enchiladas! The ingredients that I used to make my stuffed peppers ALL are items that I would use for enchiladas. Now all I have to do is heat theses items up, add some enchilada sauce (about 1/3 of the can) and shredded cheese for the filling.
ENCHILADAS
INGREDIENTS:
leftover stuffed peppers, chopped
1/2 lb ground beef (reserved from previous meal prep)
New items: 1 can mild, red enchilada sauce, 5 flour tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream
*In order to make this meal, it only costs about $3-4 for the additional ingredients! Think about that: you will be saving money by not wasting leftovers AND you are making a completely new meal for your family for less than $5!
Spoon filling into flour tortilla shells. Roll up and place in baking dish (sprayed with a non-stick spray). Once all enchiladas are filled and placed in baking dish, pour remaining red sauce over the top. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. This is a quick, easy, inexpensive meal; and the best part is you will never know that you are eating leftovers!
Your meals literally look 10 times better than the Mexican food that I had for lunch today! I am going to try those stuff peppers later this week……Great article 🙂