• Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare The Ground Beef Filling:

• Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 1 onion (any color).
• Wipe a 1 oz. package of mushrooms with a damp towel to remove any dirt (if necessary). Remove and discard any damaged or dirty stems.

  Dice the mushrooms into small chunks.
• Roughly chop 2 packed cups of spinach (or hearty greens of choice such as kale, Swiss chard, or arugula).
• Slice ½ cup of green manzanilla olives (or olives of choice).
• Place a large skillet on the stove top and heat to medium. Once heated, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.
• Add the diced mushrooms along with ¼ tsp. of kosher salt and ⅛ tsp. of pepper. Sauté the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  Remove the sauteed mushrooms from the skillet and set aside.
• Return the skillet to the stove top and add another Tbsp. of olive oil. Add the minced garlic and onions to the skillet and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add 1 - 1 ¼ lbs. of lean ground beef to the skillet and sauté for 8-10 minutes or until the meat is browned, breaking it up as it cooks.

  Add another ¼ tsp. of kosher salt and ⅛ tsp. of pepper along with 2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Stir until combined.
• Add 3 Tbsp. of tomato paste and stir into the beef until combined (this helps to thicken the filling and prevents it from becoming watery and deepens the flavor).
• Add 2 packed cups spinach (or hearty greens of choice) along with the cooked mushrooms to the skillet. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the spinach has cooked down.

  Add the ½ cup of sliced olives to the skillet. Stir until completely combined.

Bake The Stuffed Peppers:

• Pour one 14 oz. jar of pizza sauce evenly into the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
• Cut 3-4 bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the stems, seeds and membranes and discard.

  Arrange the peppers skin-side down along the bottom of the pan in the pizza sauce.
• Spoon a generous amount of the ground beef filling into each halved pepper (they will probably be overflowing with filling).
• Cover the casserole dish with tinfoil and place in the oven to cook for 40 minutes.

  After the stuffed peppers have baked for 40 minutes, take the casserole dish out of the oven and remove the tinfoil.
• Shred 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese (or cheese of choice).

  Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of evenly over the top of the stuffed peppers.
• Return the casserole dish to the oven (without the tinfoil) and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. The bell peppers should be soft, but not mushy when finished.

  Remove the casserole dish from the oven.
• To Serve: Top with fresh basil or herb of choice for extra color and flavor (optional).