Looking for a healthy way to enjoy stuffed banana peppers? Have a lot of zucchini lying around? This is another way to use that zucchini! We have always made our banana peppers with cheese and bread crumbs, as well as veggies. We were looking to lighten them up. This was it! The nutrional yeast used in this recipe adds a mild cheesy flavor without the fat and inflammation. If you don’t have any, you could add a little tumeric to yellow up the filling color.
Growing Banana Peppers
Now, our banana peppers can be mighty spicy, like your mouth is on fire and get me something to put it out NOW, spicy. This fiiling is cool, and combats the spiciness of the peppers themselves. If you aren’t working with spicy peppers, you may want to add a little heat to the filling. I’d suggest some cayenne (go easy) or wait and see, and add hot sauce/siracha after you taste them. Ours DID NOT need this!
Did you know that peppers have more Vitamin C than oranges? Most people don’t realize the health benefits of peppers. We grow them, and freeze them for the year. To do this, chop and place into freezer safe bags, or vacuum seal like we do. They store very well!
This dish can be prepped the night before for a party. We made the filling, stuffed the peppers, and placed on a cookie sheet for a party the next day. They were then easy to just pop in the oven!
Ingredients; makes 15 full peppers, or 30 halves:
- 15 medium banana peppers
- 2 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup of chives; we used a combination of garlic and traditional chives
- 2 tbsp of parsley
- good amount of freshly ground pepper
*Note: these would be great with basil as well. We were making these ahead of time for a party and didn’t want the basil to turn black in the fridge. If I was making them to be cooked right away, I would have thrown some in!
Instructions:
- Slice peppers in half and de-seed. If your peppers are very spicy, they can burn your hands. Wear gloves and don’t rub your eyes while doing this
- Place peppers on a cookie sheet
- Mix remaining ingredients into a bowl, let sit for a few minutes as the water will be released from the zucchini. You can pour this off or use a slotted spoon when filling the peppers
- Fill the peppers and cover with foil.
- If making right away, preheat the oven to 375 and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook until peppers look slightly browned, around another 15-20 minutes
- Serve with some freshly sprinkled parsley and/or chives
Nutritional Benefits:
- 211% of Vitamin C, 73% of Vitamin A in just 2 peppers! Great antioxidants. Vitamin C helps to boost immunity, Vitamin A helps to regulate blood pressure, cholesterol levels, improve skin, eye, bone/dental health
- Nutritional Yeast: packed with B-vitamins, folate, protein, and fiber
- High in Fiber; 6.9 g of fiber! Great for regulating blood sugars, digestive health, and lowering cholesterol, increases satiety
- Good source of plant-based protein; 3.6 g in only 2 peppers
- Plant-based/vegan; no cholesterol and anti-inflammatory
- Gluten Free
- Virtually fat free, less than 1 g per serving
- Low in calories; 57 calories in 4 halves or 2 peppers
- 15 medium banana peppers
- 2½ cups of shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup of chives; we used a combination of garlic and traditional chives
- 2 tbsp of parsley
- good amount of freshly ground pepper
- Slice peppers in half and de-seed. If your peppers are very spicy, they can burn your hands. Wear gloves and don't rub your eyes while doing this
- Place peppers on a cookie sheet
- Mix remaining ingredients into a bowl, let sit for a few minutes as the water will be released from the zucchini. You can pour this off or use a slotted spoon when filling the peppers
- Fill the peppers and cover with foil.
- If making right away, preheat the oven to 375 and bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook until peppers look slightly browned, around another 15-20 minutes
- Serve with some freshly sprinkled parsley and/or chives
