rep Time10 minsCook Time20 minsResting time5 minsTotal Time35 mins

Course: SnackCuisine: AmericanServings: 3 servingsCalories: 294kcal

INGREDIENTS

  • ▢3 medium bell peppers
  • ▢¾ cup sugar-free pizza sauce I use Rao’s
  • ▢¾ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
  • ▢Your choice of toppings (I use pepperoni and olives)
  • ▢Olive oil spray

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a small rectangular rimmed baking dish with olive oil. The baking dish that I use is from Sur La Table. It measures 10 X 7 inches and holds about 2 quarts.
  • Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove their core and membranes. You can remove the stem or cut around it gently to leave it intact.
  • Arrange the peppers in a single layer in the prepared baking dish.
  • Layer the filling: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce into each bell pepper half. Top with 2 tablespoons of shredded mozzarella, 2 more tablespoons of sauce, and finish with 2 more tablespoons of mozzarella.
  • Add your toppings. I like to use pepperoni (2-3 slices per pepper half) and sliced black olives.
  • Lightly spray the peppers with olive oil. Bake, uncovered, until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted, 20-30 minutes. Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

NOTES

1. Nutrition info does not include toppings.2. It’s pretty to use different pepper colors. I like to mix green, orange, and red peppers. 3. The measurements listed here are very flexible. If your pepper halves are deep and you feel that they could use more of the filling, go ahead and add more layers of sauce and cheese. The filling does tend to shrink and lose volume as the cheese melts, so it’s not a bad idea to add a bit more.4. When prepping the bell peppers, you can leave the stems intact. It makes for a pretty presentation.5. Although it’s best to layer the filling – sauce, cheese, more sauce, and more cheese – when I’m feeling lazy I simply add the sauce, then the cheese, then the toppings.

NUTRITION PER SERVING

Serving: 1pepper (two halves) | Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 604mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g