Philly Cheese-Stuffed

Sundays are my favorite days to make dinner. Not because it's a lazy weekend evening and I have plenty of time to prepare something lavish.  In fact, I usually procrastinate till Allen and I are both already starving before I head to the kitchen, because Sunday afternoons just go way too fast.  Sundays are my favorite because they are the one day of the week when I can make all the "nasty grown-up food" that Rachel wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. The youth group at my church meets on Sunday nights, and they generously feed my child all the junk food she desires, so I am free to experiment with the plethora of ingredients not deemed edible by a 13 year old palate.  Disgusting things like onions, and green peppers, and beef.

Add provolone cheese to that list and you have the makings of one of my favorite meals- Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. Soft buns slathered with mayo and piled high with salty beef and tender veggies, then covered with melty cheese - YUMMMM.  I am an adventurous chef, however, and I would usually rather try something new than make something I've made before, even an old favorite.  So when I saw this recipe for Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers, I was sold.  The original recipe is from a low-carb blog, and since carbs are pretty much my favorite food, I was a little worried I might miss the fluffy white deliciousness the bun normally provides, so I served this up with some fresh-baked dinner rolls just in case.  I was pleased to discover, though, that these tasty little cups were great all by themselves.  They didn't even need mayo!

I made one minor change to the original recipe (mostly out of laziness.)  I didn't caramelize the onions, merely sauteed then for a few minutes, and I thought they were just fine that way.  In fact, this version of Philly cheesesteak was so yummy, now I'm dreaming of all kinds of cheesesteak variations.....casseroles, quesadillas, egg rolls.....Maybe next Sunday. = ) 

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 15 min
Serves 2

8 oz thinly sliced beef, chopped
8 slices provolone cheese
2 green peppers, halved and seeds removed
1 medium onion, diced
6 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 400*.
In a skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in oil over medium heat till tender and nicely browned.  Add beef and cook a few more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, line inside of peppers with a slice of cheese.  Fill each pepper with meat mixture till nearly overflowing, then top with another slice of cheese.

Bake at 400* for 15 minutes or till cheese is golden brown.

675 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!