Cheesy Poblano Beef Bake - keto, low carb, sugar-free, gluten free

 

Taking my poblano pepper obsession to a whole new level! This is now one of my new favorites because it's creamy, cheesy, comforting and is a cross between 2 foods I really love - lasagna and meatloaf ;)  If you've never had a poblano, it's a fairly mild pepper, just make sure to remove all of the seeds.

 

Here's what you'll need 2 large servings (or 3 smaller servings).

1/3lb ground beef

1/4lb spicy ground sausage, or breakfast sausage

3 TBSP finely ground pork rinds (I used @porkkinggood)

1 egg

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 TBSP italian seasoning

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 large poblano, the flatter the better

1/2 cup low carb marinara sauce (I like Rao's or Bello Organico)

1.5oz cream cheese

4 slices of sharp cheddar cheese

 

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl combine the first 8 ingredients (beef thru sea salt).  Blend well with hands, you're basically making a meatloaf.  set aside.

3. Carefully slice the poblano in half, lengthwise. Remove all of the seeds, trim off a little towards the top edges if you need to, to make it flat, like a sheet of pasta.  A little extra isn't a problem though. Lay pepper halves in pan, skin side down.

4. Wash hands with soap to get pepper oil off!

5. Dollop meat mixture over peppers, then press evening into pan.  Basically, a large sheet of meat mixture.

6. Spread marinara sauce over all the meat, dollop cream cheese all over, top with the sliced cheese, cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes.

7. Check to make sure meat is fully cooked at 35 minutes, if so take foil off and broil for a few minutes to finish of the cheese on top.

8. I cut mine into 4 (or 6) squares, and stack them on my plate to get the 2-layered look.