Tasty Tuesday: Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

To say that I've been feeling uninspired in the kitchen lately would be a huge understatement. If it requires more than 20-30 minutes, more than two pots/pans, and more than a handful of ingredients, I don't feel like making it. (Okay, if I'm being totally honest here, I'll admit that the majority of our meals these last couple of weeks have either been from a restaurant or from the freezer/a box/a jar.)

I wasn't even sure if I'd have anything to post for Tasty Tuesday this week, but then I realized that I still had a couple of recipes I've made over the last few months that I hadn't gotten around to posting yet. And, luckily, these Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers seemed like the perfect end of summer recipe.

Okay, yes ... You have to bake them. However, this meal is light and delicious and relatively healthy, and the vegetables and bright lemon flavor make me think of summer (or spring too, I guess). And, really, if you don't want to go through with the stuffed pepper portion of this recipe, that's okay too. I had extra filling left over, and it was delicious heated up as a warm lunch salad.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from recipes on Smashed Garlic and The Mediterranean Dish.

Ingredient List (Filling):

• 7 oz. Israeli couscous (This was about half of the package I purchased.)
• 18-24 grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 14.5 oz. can quartered artichokes, roughly chopped
• 1 14.5 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3/4-1 cup spinach, chopped (Fresh or frozen, it doesn't really matter.)

Instructions (Filling):

1.  Cook the Israeli couscous according to the package instructions.

2.  Once the couscous is cooked, add the grape tomatoes, artichokes, chickpeas, and spinach. Stir several times to thoroughly combine.


Ingredient List (Lemon Dill Vinaigrette):

• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp dried dill weed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions (Lemon Dill Vinaigrette):

1.  Add the juice of a lemon, olive oil, dill weed, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper to a small bowl and whisk together until completely blended.

2.  Once the vinaigrette is well mixed, pour it over the Israeli couscous filling and stir several times to completely coat the filling.




Ingredient List (Stuffed Peppers):

• 6 bell peppers (I used a combination of red, yellow, and orange, but any kind of bell pepper is fine.)
• Crumbled feta cheese for topping

Instructions (Stuffed Peppers):

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the cores and any seeds.

3.  Stuff the peppers with the filling. You don't want to fill them to the brim, but stuff them about 3/4 full. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

4.  Place the peppers in an ungreased 9x13 inch pan, snuggling them as closely together as possible. (There will likely still be some space, depending on the size of your peppers, so please make sure you move the pan gently when you place it in the oven!)

5.  Bake the peppers uncovered for 15-20 minutes. (I baked mine for the full 20 minutes.)