Recipe: Skinny Italian Beef and Peppers

balance out the hearty ground beef in this perfect weeknight meal! This dish keeps well in the [...]

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(Photo: Skinny Mom / PopCulture.com)

Get ready to give your pizza cutter a rest and dig into our Skinny Italian Beef and Peppers casserole! This dinner is the answer to the challenge of cooking low-carb Italian meals, and the results couldn't be more delicious! Peppers, onions, celery, and a little surprise (garbanzo beans!) balance out the hearty ground beef in this perfect weeknight meal! This dish keeps well in the freezer, making it a great make-ahead meal, and the leftovers are easy to reheat and still taste fantastic for a small lunch! Mix up your beef casserole recipes by trying our Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole and Skinny Beef Casserole!

Recipe: Skinny Italian Beef and Peppers

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Serving size: 1½ cups

Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers, diced (I used 1 red, 1 green, 1 orange, and 1 yellow)
  • 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
  • 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
  • ½ cup green onions, diced
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 4 celery stalks, diced
  • 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
  • 0.7 oz packet all-natural Italian salad dressing dry mix
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet, add ground beef and cook over medium heat.
  3. Use a fork or spatula to separate the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Remove ground beef, place in a bowl, and set aside.
  4. In same skillet, over medium heat, add olive oil, celery, garlic, peppers and green onions. Cook vegetables 4-6 minutes, until they have softened.
  5. Return ground beef to skillet. Add lemon juice, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes, garbanzo beans and 1 Tbsp water. Using a spoon, mix all ingredients together and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  6. Transfer mixture to casserole dish. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese has melted.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving: (1½ cups)
Calories: 209
Calories from fat: 47
Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 44mg
Sodium: 631mg
Carbohydrates: 15g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar 1g
Protein: 23g
WWP+: 5
SmartPoints: 5

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