Oh soooo flavor-heavy on the palate yet light on the tummy, my Paleo Creole shrimp stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice leave you feeling light as air after you've eaten your yum-delicious fill. Seasoned shrimp, caramelized veggies, tender peppers, and rich tomatoes come together to create a company-worthy meal that satisfies your craving for waaaaaayyyy down the bayou south Louisiana flavors. Yep and yay...
Disclosure: A Sprinkling of Cayenne is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Oh, Paleo Creole Shrimp Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice, I've Had You on My Mind for a Long, Long Time...
You see a whole, whole lot of peppers growing up in south Louisiana. Yep. Of course, they're always part of the starring Cajun trinity show, the south Louisiana seasoning blend that gets the flavors of gumbos, stews, and other types of Cajun/Creole dishes going in the pot.
But, you also see stuffed peppers all over the place. On restaurant menus, buffet tables, Sunday potlucks, and anywhere else a food gathering is held. Well, like all native Louisianians, I've eaten my fair share of stuffed peppers in my lifetime. I've had them with beef, with pork, and with shellfish. And, well, I've only ever had stuffed peppers with rice in them.
When I was a child, I used to eat the stuffing right out of the pepper, and then leave the pepper behind on the plate. I wasn't into peppers back then. Just too young to understand their scrumptious taste and delectable texture, I suppose.
Now that I'm older, I've found myself on more than one occasion eating stuffed peppers in the exact opposite manner of my childhood. Yep. Now I eat the stuffing around the rice, and then the pepper. So, now the rice is left on the plate, all lonely and discarded and destined for the garbage disposal because although I love rice, my tummy doesn't so much at this stage of my life. Nope.
Well, for the last couple of months I've been craving shrimp stuffed peppers something awful. Thoughts of this dish have consumed me so much here lately that I had to finally surrender to the craving to finally get some mental relief.
So, I decided that regular rice just doesn't have any place in my recipe. And, although I've never done this before, I jumped right on the trendy cauliflower rice bandwagon for this one, y'all. And I'm soooo glad I did. The cauliflower rice replacement allows the delicate flavors of the fresh shrimp, the tomatoes, the seasonings and the veggies to shine inside of the tender green bell peppers.
Shine so much, in fact, that I've now sworn off eating Creole shrimp stuffed peppers any way but this way from now on....
Paleo Creole Shrimp Stuffed Peppers With Cauliflower Rice are Worth the Wait, Y'all...
I have to say that my Paleo shrimp stuffed peppers are a little work, but totally, totally worth it. It takes time to boil the peppers til they're tender. And time to get the tomato sauce seasonings to marry once-and-for-all in the pot. It also takes a little time to marinate the shrimp, brown the veggies, and rice the cauliflower in a food processor, if you don't opt for using frozen riced cauliflower.
What you get after it all comes together are light yet hearty shrimp stuffed peppers that flavor-scream with south Louisiana Creole seasonings. And the presentation, y'all. All eye-popping pretty self-contained... Share these Paleo Creole shrimp stuffed peppers with those who appreciate your time well spent in the kitchen. And see y'all on the yum side...
Paleo Creole Shrimp Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 2 14.5- ounce cans gluten free tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- 6 green bell peppers tops, seeds, and membranes removed
- 1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 chopped celery ribs
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 14.5- ounce can gluten free stewed tomatoes drained and rough-chopped
- 3 cups fresh or frozen riced cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pour the 2 cans of tomato sauce into a small pot. Season with the tablespoon of garlic powder and onion powder, and the teaspoon of paprika and dried parsley. Add SP&C to taste. Cook over low heat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Submerge three bell peppers at at time in the water. Remove when the peppers turn from bright green to an army green and are tender to the touch. Drain excess water from inside peppers, and set aside.
- Season the shrimp with the 1 teaspoon each of lemon zest, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried parsley. Add black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Place small batches of fresh or frozen cauliflower in your food processo. . Process until a rice-like consistency is achieved, or just use frozen riced cauliflower.
- Brown the chopped onion and celery in oil.
- Add the minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the marinated shrimp and drained stewed tomatoes. Cook for 2 to 3 additional minutes, or until the shrimp turn opaque.
- Remove from heat and fold in the riced cauliflower.
- Pour the heated tomato sauce in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. .
- Fill each hollow green bell pepper with the stuffing mixture, and place one by one into the skillet.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes to further brown the top, if desired.
The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.
See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Leave a Reply