One of my favorite ways to budget and plan new recipes is by re-purposing old ones! This recipe does just that. With gusto.
I utilized my black bean burger recipe and added a twist to create an easy meal for stuffed bell peppers on a budget. The most expensive part will be the bell peppers. The stuffing earns an A grade in cost per kcal.
$ – Savvy: For tips on how to make this B-grade recipe into an A-grade meal, check out the “Savvy Alternates” table below!
Savory Bell Peppers
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 415kcal
Cost: $2.42
A similar flare to our Black Bean Burgers, these are a fun addition for holiday parties or summer shindigs.
Print Recipe
Equipment
- medium bowl, oven-ware 9×9 dish, oven, large spoon, fork, knives and cutting board, measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 can Organic Canned Black Beans (or from scratch)
- ¾ cups Gluten Free Breadcrumbs
- 1 Eggs OR 1 flax egg
- 5 oz Goat Cheese
- ½ Onion chopped/minced
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Chili Powder
- ½ tsp Black Peppercorn freshly ground
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil we like California Olive Ranch
- 4 Bell Peppers
- 1.5 cups Organic Spinach packed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to Bake at 350°F
- Drain and rinse the beans. (cook the beans then drain/rinse if working from scratch).
- Heat the beans either in the microwave or a steamer until warm. Place in medium or large bowl. Mash with a fork to desired consistency. I prefer some whole bean chunks in mine. Note: the mixture won’t congeal well if you don’t mash them for at least a few minutes.
- Wash the spinach and rinse in a salad spinner, then chop and blend into bean mixture
- Whisk the egg and add. Blend in remaining ingredients (minus the goat cheese) and mix well.
- Prep your bell peppers: wash and carve out the inside. Chop up any remaining bell pepper attached to the stem-top you removed, and add it to the stuffing mixture.
- Fill each bell pepper half-way with stuffing mixture, then add a sprinkle of goat cheese and then top with stuffing mixture. Pack down each pepper and top with goat cheese or favorite shredded cheese (you only really need a tablespoon or so each).
- Place peppers into an oiled 9×9 oven-ware dish, cheese side facing up. Cover and refrigerate over night for a more cohesive and moist pepper.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until ready. Peppers should be soft.
Notes
WHOLE RECIPE:
Total Calories – 1,663. Total Cost – $9.70 . Grade – B . *Monthly Cost – $703
Programming Notes:
- Use GREEN + RED bell peppers for a little festive holiday fun.
- Green Bell Peppers are typically cheaper than red, yellow or orange bell peppers.
- Make this meal vegan by using vegan cheese and a flax egg instead of a chicken egg.
- Bell Peppers are not lectin free. If you’re choosing to follow a lectin-free diet, be sure to cook everything in a pressure cooker and consider serving this in romaine lettuce bowls and omitting the bell peppers. Also, use white Basmati rice from India in place of the rice “bread” crumbs.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Savory Bell Peppers
Amount Per Serving
Calories 415
Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 14g
Cholesterol 57mg19%
Sodium 329mg14%
Potassium 706mg20%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 5553IU111%
Vitamin C 159mg193%
Calcium 120mg12%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The Savvy Solution to an Expensive Recipe
- Change the original recipe so that it has more calories with less expensive food.
- Sometimes changing the original means using less expensive food with fewer calories.
- Add a low cost side dish with a lot of calories to bring your total cost per Calorie down.
- Use a combination of both: add a higher calorie, low cost side AND alter the main dish so it fits your budget.
- In the case of the “Savory Bell Peppers” – this option created the A-priced meal.
Each variation requires a shift towards creative-thinking while evaluating your objectives and balancing your guests’ preference with your own food budget.
$ – Savvy: This table summarizes three lower-cost scenarios and one A-priced meal.
Here’s a table with external links for each recipe ingredient (plus a few alternate ingredient ideas). As previously mentioned, prices vary per region, season, city, store and personal preference for brand or specific type of food item.
| Organic Canned Black Beans | Bell Peppers | Grass Fed/Finished Ground Beef |
| Organic Pinto Beans | Organic Romaine Lettuce | Free Range Chicken/ Turkey/ Costco or Sam’s Club $5 chicken |
| Organic Great Northern Beans (or TJ’s for less $) | Organic Spinach | Goat Cheese (Costco= best deal, otherwise: Sam’s or TJ’s) |
| Eggs (Costco) | Onion | Daiya Cheddar Vegan Cheese |
| Gluten Free Breadcrumbs or TJ’s | Black Peppercorn | Chopped Garlic |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil (organic) | Smoked Paprika or TJ’s | Garlic Powder (organic) |
| Avocado | Black Olives or Sam’s Club (bulk) | Chili Powder or TJ’s |
| Cream Cheese or Organic at HEB | Flaxseed Meal | Organic Cumin |
*TJ’s = Trader Joe’s
