Philly Cheese Steak Stuffed Peppers

I love a good Philly Cheese Steak (or Chicken Philly). The cheese, juicy steak, grilled onions, O-M-G! My mouth is watering just thinking about this glorious meal. We've been lucky enough to finally get some cooler temps in the last week or so and it's been a real treat. For some reason when the temperatures drop, I start to crave comfort food. Most of these foods tend to be not as healthy of choices, like the named sandwich above.

So I set out to find and try some healthier versions of my not so healthy comfort foods. Here is a great spin on a traditional Philly Cheese Steak. I basically replaced the bread with a bell pepper. Saved lots of calories on the hoagie roll and got in an extra veggie with the bell pepper. It's a win-win.

Ingredients:

-4 bell peppers (I used red, yellow and orange)

-1 sweet onion

-1 lb of shaved streak (I actually, rendered up using a pound of rib roast, because it was on sale at Fresh Market)

-1 cup of shredded low fat mozzarella cheese

-1 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Directions:

1. Because I used the rib roast, I had to cook that first in the oven. First I, seasoned it with salt and pepper and popped it in the oven at 300° and cooked it for an hour. This stepped can be skipped if you bought shaved steak. Once finished cooking. let sit and cool for 25-30 minutes before slicing.

2. Slice onion and saute in EVOO until translucent.

3. Add your steak to onions and cook until no longer pink. I also added my meat to the onions, 1 for flavoring and 2 because the Mister likes his meat medium-well done.

4. Pre-heat oven to 375°.

5. Cut your peppers length wise and remove the seeds.

6. Fill the bottom of each pepper with a light layer of cheese (optional).

7. Add a scoop of the onion and meat mixture.

8. Add a final layer of cheese to each pepper.

9. Cook for 20 minutes or until cheese is nicely melted. If you like your peppers on the softer side like I do, add some water to the pan and cover with foil, removing fool the last 5 minutes to melt cheese.

I served this meal with a mixed greens salad and balsamic vinegar. It's so tasty and to be completely honest, I didn't miss the hoagie roll one bit. After having it this way, I actually think the hoagie roll takes away from the delicious flavors of the meat and onions. This is definitely a recipe you should try soon!