Wonderful and fragrant stuffed peppers are my tip for a family dinner today. Filled with groats and vegetables, served on tomato sauce with potatoes, they are simply delicious.
The best part is, since I don’t have to eat them with meat, I suddenly found out that bell pepper stuffing can be made of so many wonderful ingredients! The principle is very simple: the stuffing can consist of rice, groats or any legumes and additives made of fresh or canned vegetables. In order for the stuffing to blend in nicely, just add a little oil, veggie spead, vegan mayo, broth or just leave the stuffing as it is. While baking the peppers, they will come out great anyway!
So far I have tried two versions of the stuffing. One with dried tomatoes and capers – a little more aromatic, but easier to make, and the other with two types of carbs (bulgur + lentils). The latter also has more vegetables in it, as I used mushrooms, carrots and corn there, which made it a little less loose on its own. Which one is better? I don’t know, I think both of them deserve a try, because each of them adds something extra to the dish.
BELL PEPPERS – I’ve seen a few recipes that boil paprika first for a minute before baking. However, I think that it is unnecessary, unless you are really in a hurry, then you can save 10 minutes. It seems to me that it is enough to lightly rub the peppers with olive oil to make them bake well and have a delicious aroma.
PEPPER STEMS – do not remove them, they have a lot of taste and smell of pepper, even though they are not edible, they will make the whole dish smell even better!
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bell peppers or 8 ramiro peppers
Stuffing option 1.
- 1 cup of dry pearl barley
- 1 can of mixed beans
- 2 tablespoons of capers
- 4-5 dried tomatoes
- 100g of cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ onion
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- a pinch of oregano and basil
- salt pepper
Stuffing option 2.
- ½ glasses of bulgur
- ½ cup of red lentils
- ½ onion
- 1 large carrot
- ½ canned “mexico” canned mix (corn, peas, peppers)
- 150g of mushrooms
- salt pepper
Tomato sauce:
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 0.5 L of broth
- a little tomato paste
- 400 ml of tomato passata
- 1 teaspoon of sweet pepper
- a pinch of cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 allspice
- pinch of thyme
- a pinch of sugar (in case the tomatoes are too acidic)
- pepper, salt
STUFFED PEPPERS – PREPARATION
Stuffing No. 1.
- Cook pearl barley groats according to the instructions on the package.
- Chop the onion and garlic and fry them in oil in a pan until the onion turns golden.
- Add the onion and garlic to the cooked groats along with the oil from the pan, capers, a mixture of beans, diced dried tomatoes.
- Put the sliced cherry tomatoes and season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Olive oil can be added if desired.
Stuffing number 2.
- Cook bulgur and red lentils in separate pots according to the instructions on their packages.
- Dice the onion, squeeze the garlic. Peel the carrots and grate them using the side with big holes, wash the mushrooms and cut them into slices.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a hot frying pan and fry the onion and garlic. After 3 minutes, add the mushrooms, wait for them to decrease in size and add the grated carrots.
- Season with salt and pepper (mushrooms like black pepper). Fry over medium heat for about 7 minutes.
- Combine the vegetables from the pan with pearl barley, lentils and with canned corn and peas.
Stuffed Peppers:
- Cut the red peppers in half so that each half has half a stem.
- Remove the seeds and white parts, leave the stems.
- Stuff with any stuffing and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
- Rub lightly with oil and put in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees.
- At the end of baking, you can top the peppers with a slice of vegan cheese and let it melt.
Tomato sauce:
- Chop the onion finely with the garlic and fry it in oil. When the onion is golden, add the tomato puree and it with the onion in the pan, stirring all the time to avoid burning.
- After about 3-4 minutes, add the passata and the broth.
- Add allspice, bay leaf, cinnamon, sweet paprika, thyme, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat.
- When the sauce is too sour, add a teaspoon of sugar to it, and if it seems too thin to you, you can thicken it with a roux.
