With this stuffed pepper recipe, you’re getting more than just a delicious dinner. These weight watchers stuffed peppers are full of healthy nutrients. Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system. Just one cup of chopped bell peppers provides more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. Additionally, bell peppers are also a good source of vitamin A, which is important for eye health.
Bell peppers are rich in antioxidants, including carotenoids and flavonoids. These antioxidants help protect against cellular damage and may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
This recipe is also perfect for having company over. There’s very little clean up which means you can relax before the guests arrive. And since it’s protein, carbs, and veggies all in one dish, you can have a great meal without having to spend hours prepping and cleaning.
Three reasons why you need to make these simple stuffed peppers.
One serving is less than 200 calories.
Bell peppers are low in calories, making them an ideal food for weight loss or weight maintenance. They are high in fiber, which helps keep you feeling full for longer and it aids in digestion.
It’s great for veggie haters.
Because you’re getting delicious beef and plenty of taco seasoning, veggies actually take the back burner on this one when it comes to flavor. While they do make up most of the recipe (which is great for points), you’re getting a good bit of Mexican flavor instead of feeling like you’re eating a ton of veggies. Bell peppers make the perfect “pocket” for this beef and veggie stuffing.
The nutrients!
One cup of red bell peppers has three times more vitamin C than an orange. If you need an immune boost, use red bell peppers instead of the traditional green. You could even use an array of colors (yellow, orange, red) to enhance the food presentation. Vibrant dishes are always more appealing to the eye.
Ingredients you need to make WW Stuffed Peppers:
- 6 bell peppers, any color
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup salsa
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- ⅔ cup cooked rice
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup diced onions
- ⅓ cup diced peppers use your tops
- ¼ cup reduced-fat cheese
How to make stuffed peppers (step-by-step):
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- In a frying pan, cook the ground beef and then drain off the fat. Add the salsa, tomato sauce, cooked rice, onions, peppers, and the taco seasoning. Let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cut the top of the peppers off and remove the seeds. You can dice up your tops and add them to the mixture to reduce waste. Place the peppers in a dish with sides- like a casserole dish.
- Fill the peppers to the top with the mixture and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Add a few tbsp of water to the bottom of the dish before placing it in the oven. This will create some steam and will help the peppers soften.
- Remove from the oven and top each pepper with grated cheese then return to oven for 10-12 minutes.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition info per serving: Calories 179, Fat 7 g, Carbs 12 g, Protein 18 g.
WW Points
- Bell Peppers 0 points
- Lean (93/7) ground beef 18 points
- Salsa 0 points
- Tomato sauce 0 points
- Rice 4 points
- Taco seasoning 0 points
- Diced onions 0 points
- Reduced fat cheese 3 points
4 points per serving based on the WW app recipe creator.
If you’re using an older version of WW, check out these points below.
5 personal points or 5SP.
Different ways to change up this recipe:
- You can switch the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, and turn these peppers into a 1-point meal!
- Use cauliflower rice instead of cooked rice and you’ll save a point. With the taco seasoning, you won’t be able to taste the cauliflower, so don’t worry if you don’t like the veggie.
- This is a great way to hide a bunch of veggies- or even bulk it up to 8 servings without adding a ton of points. You could add chopped broccoli, zucchini, or a few handfuls of spinach without changing the flavor.
- You could easily make this with Asian flavors by using stir fry veggies and a bit of sugar-free teriyaki sauce instead of taco seasoning.
- Beans and corn would be a fantastic addition to this recipe – with no added points.
- An easy vegan version: use a bit of tofu in place of the ground beef and add beans for extra protein. Top with nutritional yeast instead of shredded cheese.
- You can change up the grain to quinoa or orzo instead of rice.
- You could also completely leave out the rice and just double the meat for a higher protein, lower carb option.
Tips and Tricks for Making WW Stuffed Peppers.
- If you don’t have a dish with sides so that the peppers can stand up, you can use a regular cookie sheet. You’ll just need to cut the peppers in half lengthwise and lay them cut side up. It’ll look like you have a bigger serving that way as well.
- If you wanted a creamy texture, you could mix a few laughing cow cheese wedges into the stuffing mixture before putting in the peppers.
- This dish is perfect for meal prep. Bake it once, and you could have a stuffed bell pepper for lunch all week.
- These do not freeze well. The water content in the peppers will make them mushy if you reheat from frozen. These will last in the fridge for 6-7 days.
- If the peppers do not stand up on their own in the casserole dish, slice a thin layer off of the bottom so that it’s even.
- Try to pick peppers that are all similar in size so that they all cook evenly.
Similar recipes you’ll enjoy:
- 27 Can’t-Miss Weight Watchers Ground Beef Recipes
- Classic Weight Watchers Chili
- Stove Top Stuffing Chicken Casserole
Easy Weight Watchers Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 peppers
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 2/3 cup cooked rice, I used a fine herbs long grain and wild rice.
- 1 T taco seasoning
- 1/3 cup diced onions
- 1/3 cup diced peppers, use your tops
- Grated light cheese, I used a weight watchers Mexican blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- In a frying pan cook up your ground beef, drain. Add salsa, tomato sauce, cooked rice, onions, peppers and taco seasoning. let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Cut your peppers tops off and remove seeds. You can dice up your tops and ad to mixture. Place peppers in a dish.
- Fill peppers to the top with mixture and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top each pepper with 1/4 cup of grated cheese, return to oven for 10-12 minutes, 5sp or pp each.
Notes
Just wondering what the portion of cheese is? There is no measurement.
Hi, sorry it is in the instructions, step 5, 1/4 cup on each, this is an old recipe, I think WW discontinued their cheese so any reduced fat is fine
you could use ground turkey and cut your points more!
You sure could 🙂
Should you cook the peppers slightly first?
I didn’t and they came out well cooked, but your call 🙂