Stuffed Pepper Recipe

I use this healthy stuffed pepper recipe over and over again because it’s very straightforward and tastes great. Putting a vegetable-based dish at the centre of your main meal goes a good way to making sure you get your portions of fruit and veg every day.

You can serve the peppers hot or cold, so it’s a good one to do in advance if you’re pushed for time. There are plenty of variations, so this a useful recipe when you have a few ingredients that you need to use up.

STUFFED PEPPER RECIPE

Basic stuffing recipe

Put cous cous into a measuring jug up to the 125ml (1/2 cup) line. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to swell and soften for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 350F/180C/gas 4. Finely chop a handful of fresh herbs, using whatever you have available. Mint, thyme, dill, coriander, basil all work well.

Finely chop an onion or a couple of shallots, and soften in olive oil until yellow and soft. Add one or two cloves of garlic, crushed, and cook for a little longer.

Fork through the cous cous to separate the grains, then mix in the herbs, onion and shallot. Place the peppers in an ovenproof dish and fill with the stuffing.

Sprinkle some grated parmesan on top, put the caps on, pour a little water round the bases and drizzle with a little oil. Bake for 25 minutes until browned. You can pour some tomato sauce round the peppers for the last 10-15 minutes if you wish.

STUFFED PEPPER RECIPE: VARIATIONS

• Don’t blanch the peppers, but bake the dish for an hour instead. Or char the peppers under a hot grill, put them in a sealed plastic bag for a few minutes to loosen the skins, peel, and cut into two halves before stuffing and baking for 45 minutes.
• Instead of cous cous, you can use rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat or breadcrumbs.
• Add different ingredients to the basic stuffing. For crunch, try pine nuts or chopped walnuts. For a really savoury kick, add drained capers or chopped anchovies. Dried fruits work well in the basic mix, and add sweetness. Try sultanas, or chopped dried apricots. Olives are a good addition, or cubes of mozzarella or feta cheese. For a non-vegetarian dish, you could add flaked tuna, shredded chicken, diced bacon or ham.
• Leave the tops of the peppers off when baking, so that the cheese topping browns.

For more stuffed vegetable recipes, see Stuffed Green Pepper Recipe and my Stuffed Mushroom recipe.

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