Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Cut the tops off the peppers and reserve them. Remove the cores, seeds and pale ribs. While the peppers are still raw and empty, carve a face into one side of each with a paring knife. Set them upright in a large broiler-safe baking dish.
- Heat half the measured cooking fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Transfer the onion to a plate.
- Add the beef to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Break it into crumbles and cook until browned, about 7–9 minutes, checking that it reaches 160°F with a food thermometer. Transfer it out of the pan and drain the excess fat.
- Add the remaining cooking fat and the cauliflower rice to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the cauliflower softens.
- Return the onion and beef to the skillet. Stir in two-thirds of the measured marinara, reserving the remaining third for topping. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove from the heat.
- Spoon the cooked filling into the carved peppers. Place the reserved pepper tops alongside them in the dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the peppers soften and the center of the filling reaches 165°F.
- While the peppers bake, warm the reserved marinara in a small saucepan, stirring. If it was refrigerated, reheat it to 165°F.
- If using cheddar, divide it over the peppers and spoon on the warm reserved marinara. Switch the oven to broil and watch until the cheese bubbles and lightly browns. Without cheese, spoon on the warm sauce after baking and skip the broiling step.
- Lift the softened peppers with a wide serving spoon. Serve with their reserved tops.
Notes
Full GAPS: Use after the ingredients you choose are introduced and tolerated. Peppers and tomatoes are nightshades. Ghee is dairy-derived; optional natural organic cheddar must be plain and additive-free, without starch or fillers, and belongs only after cheese introduction and tolerance. For a version without dairy-derived ingredients, choose rendered animal fat or natural non-hydrogenated coconut oil and leave off the cheese.
Prepared components: Measure finished ghee and the finished WFLI marinara. Keep the marinara without its optional olive-oil finish because it will be heated again. At 1×, one cup of sauce goes into the filling and half a cup is reserved; at 2×, those portions are two cups and one cup. The same proportions apply at other scales.
Time: Allow about 70 minutes with the cooking fat and sauce already prepared. Making those components takes additional time. Use the stated stage ranges, tender pepper walls and thermometer checks.
Storage: Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 40°F or below, within two hours or within one hour above 90°F. Use within three to four days. Reheat in a covered pan to 165°F in the center.