I wanted gooey, cheesy PASTA and with a little inspiration from my latest produce box, I decided to stuff some peppers instead! Baking stuffed things is an easy favorite of mine, but never before had I thought of quench a craving in this way. Fairly simple, I decided to replace the pasta shells in my mother’s stuffed shells recipe with rainbow bell peppers. The only ingredient not found in my pantry was the ricotta cheese.

Check out this lighter version of an old favorite below.

What you Need

• 4 Bell Peppers
• 1 16 ounce bag of spinach
• 4 or 5 garlic cloves
• 10 ounces ricotta cheese
• 10 ounces mozzarella cheese
• 1-bushel fresh basil
• 2 tsp salt

What to do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

First, peel and chop up the garlic and wash the basil well. Heat a medium-sized skillet coated with olive oil. On medium heat brown the garlic, then add the basil leaves in to wilt. Once the garlic is browned and basil is wilted set the heat to low and add the spinach. Drizzle 1 tbs of olive oil and toss to coat the spinach well. Place a lid on the skillet and turn off the heat. This will wilt the spinach but not over-cook it.

Next, in a medium bowl mix both kinds of cheese and salt. Wash the Peppers well and cut the tops off. Scrape any seeds out of the center, lightly coat the outsides with oil and place upright to fill.

Now the spinach should be cool enough to add to the cheese blend. Mix the cheese and spinach well and then begin filling the peppers with the mix. Once the peppers are filled add a sprinkle of cheese to the top. Bake on 400 for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is browned on top.

Let these cool for 5-10 minutes sprinkle fresh basil on top and enjoy! I created these without sauce but feel free to add once these are baked.

#therobertashow