Low-Carb Stuffed Green Peppers

I'm a huge fan of crock-pot cooking in the fall.  The days start to get darker, colder and shorter which means by the time I get home from work, I'm in full-on lazy mode. The last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen cooking.

So last week I busted out our crock-pot and made up a recipe for stuffed peppers.  I used hamburger meat and cheese and lots of small, sweet peppers as stuffing instead of spanish rice. It turned out great and had a lot of flavor.  If you're watching your weight or counting your carbs, you may enjoy this one.

Photo courtesy of www.thespiffycookie.com.
(My peppers didn't look quite as nice!)

Low-Carb Stuffed Bell Peppers

• 1 lb. lean, ground hamburger meat
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cups chopped, pitted miniature sweet peppers
• 6 green bell peppers, pitted and sliced in half
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 10 oz. tomato paste
• 6 oz. salsa
• Salt to taste
• Dash of pepper
• Dash of hot sauce

In a large sauce pan, brown the hamburger meat and onions. Add chopped sweet peppers, water and taco seasoning, stir until well blended. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Combine cooled mixture with salsa, tomato paste and hot sauce. Stuff into green pepper halves. Place stuffed peppers into slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours.  At the 3.5 hour mark, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the peppers.