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Slow Cooker Spicy Stuffed Peppers (Real Food, Paleo, Whole30)

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I have always loved to read books.  And cookbooks?  It is like an obsession and I used to hoard every cookbook I could get my budget conscious hands on.  I saved recipes from can labels, the back of boxes, and scoured the book section of thrift stores for interesting cook books.  Maybe I was even the person that quietly ripped recipes out of magazines in a doctor's office.  Maybe.  And those little paperback cookbooks by the checkout counter at the grocery store?  I wanted them all.

Over the years, our tastebuds and dietary needs have changed.  And my culinary skills have improved  a bit so I have donated most of my old books, and recycled most clippings and recipe labels I saved over the years.

I never really learned to cook growing up and I remember being newly married and trying to cook out of an old McCalls cookbook I permanently borrowed from my mom.  Sometimes I was happy with what I made.  I was disappointed more often than not, though.  One recipe that stood out was named something like Pam's 4-Cheese Stuffed Pepper, and loving it!  It was an ooey, gooey blend of 4 cheeses and just perfect.  But our dietary needs require more substance so I came up with this meatier slow cooker version.

The beef mixture uses hemp seeds (see previous hemp seed post here) in place of the bread and/or rice usually called for in stuffed peppers and it works out really well.  I like my food to have a little extra flavor kick and I find this to be especially true with slow cooker dishes, which usually end up tasting bland to me,  Except for this.  And this.  And my favorite.  Feel free to bump up the chipotle chile for a spicier flavor!

I apologize for the picture in this post - it is a picture I snapped before cooking because I thought it looked pretty.  And it turned out nicer looking that the pictures I took after the stuffed peppers were cooked.  I think that is why most stuffed pepper recipes use cheese - melted cheese hides a lot!


Slow Cooker Spicy Stuffed Peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (I use 6)
  • 1 tablespoon California chile powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
  • 1 cup frozen chopped kale and spinach blend (I get an organic blend at Costco)
  • 1/2 hemp seeds (I these at Costco) 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 12 oz organic ground beef
  • 4 bell peppers
  • 1/3 cup water

In a medium saute pan, warm the oil over medium heat.  Saute the onion, fresh garlic, chile powder, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder until the onion is soft - about 5 minutes.  Alternatively, you can microwave all this in a glass container with lid, along with the oil, for about 4 minutes on HIGH - stirring once halfway through cooking.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Cut the top 1/2 inch of each pepper.  Discard the stems and dice the tops finely.  Set aside.  Remove the core and seeds from each pepper.  Set the pepper shells aside.

In a large bowl, mix the now warm onion mixture, diced bell pepper tops, frozen chopped kale blend, chipotle chile, hemp seeds, salt, and ground beef until well combined.

Divide the mixture evenly between the four peppers, gently rounding the tops.  Pour about 1/3 cup of water into the slow cooker and place the stuffed peppers inside, making sure they stay upright.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until the peppers are tender.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer a hot stuffed pepper onto each plate. Discard the water in the slow cooker.

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