Stuffed Peppers

Low FODMAP green bell peppers stuffed with ground beef, white rice, crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, and cheddar.

Prep 25 min

Cook 1 hr 10 min

Serves 8

Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 4 medium green bell peppers (about 5 oz / 140 g each), halved lengthwise (one half, about 65 g of pepper, per serving)
• 3/4 cup (140 g) uncooked long-grain white rice, or about 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• 1/2 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced (green tops only)
• 1 pound (450 g) lean ground beef
• 1 cup (240 g) canned crushed or diced tomatoes (about 30 g per serving)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) low-FODMAP chicken broth or water for the filling, plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) for the dish (plus water or broth to cook the rice, per the package)
• 1 cup (about 100 g) shredded cheddar cheese, divided (about 12 g per serving)

Instructions

Cook the Rice

1. Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear. Cook it in water or chicken broth per the package directions, about 15 minutes, then fluff and set aside. Leftover cooked rice works too; you need about 2 cups.

Prep the Peppers

1. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Halve each pepper lengthwise through the stem and pull out the core and seeds, leaving 8 boats.
3. For softer peppers, parboil them in a pot of water for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain cut-side down. For more bite, skip this and bake them from raw.

Make the Filling

1. Warm the garlic-infused oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion greens and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until browned and cooked through (USDA calls for an internal temperature of 160°F / 71°C). Tip out any excess fat.
3. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens slightly.
4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cooked rice and half of the cheddar. Taste and adjust the salt.

Stuff and Bake

1. Set the pepper halves cut-side up in a baking dish that holds them snugly. Spoon the filling into each one, mounding it slightly. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the tops.
2. Pour the 1/4 cup water or broth into the bottom of the dish and cover tightly with foil.
3. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted and golden.
4. Let the peppers rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips & Substitutions

• Choose green peppers over red. Monash lists green bell pepper as low FODMAP at 75 g and red at about 43 g. One half of a medium green pepper is about 65 g, so each serving stays under the green-pepper serve. Look up bell pepper in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.
• Keep the canned tomato modest. Monash rates canned tomatoes as low FODMAP at 1/2 cup (100 g) per serve. One cup across eight pepper halves is about 30 g each.
• Swap the protein. Ground turkey, chicken, or pork all work in place of beef. Use plain, unseasoned meat; pre-seasoned taco or sausage blends carry onion and garlic powder.
• Make it dairy-free. Leave off the cheddar and the filling still holds together on the rice. Cheddar is low in lactose at about 12 g per serving; omit it for a dairy-free version.
• Cook the rice in broth for more flavor. Water is fine, but simmering the rice in low-FODMAP chicken broth adds savory depth that onion and garlic would normally provide.
• Use quinoa instead of rice. Cooked quinoa is low-FODMAP at 1 cup and swaps in one-for-one if you want more protein in the filling.

Why This Works

• Garlic-infused oil carries the flavor. The fructans in garlic don't dissolve into oil, so infused oil delivers the garlic taste without the FODMAP that comes with the clove.
• Scallion greens stand in for onion. Most of a scallion's fructans sit in the white bulb, and the green tops are low FODMAP at this amount, so they keep the onion flavor.
• Green pepper has room to work as the vessel. Green bell pepper is low-FODMAP at a larger serve than red, which makes it the better shell to fill and bake.
• Rice and beef make a low FODMAP base. Plain white rice and unseasoned ground beef are low FODMAP at the amounts used.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover stuffed peppers in a sealed container for up to 3 to 4 days at 40°F (4°C) or below. Reheat pepper halves in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until hot through (165°F / 74°C), or cover with foil and warm in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. They freeze well: wrap cooled halves individually and freeze for up to 2 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. For a bigger plate, serve extra filling on the side rather than a second pepper half.