I may not be a fan of cold weather, but if there’s one thing I can say in favor of the dog days of winter it’s that the comfort food is worth the chill. For me, soups, stews and nourishing whole grain dishes all rank up there with hugs and warm blankets. I simply love to bite into a warm hearty bowl of cold weather food. It’s the kind of goodness that thaws you from the inside out.
These peppers are one such dish. They’re a perfect compliment to the harsh weather of winter. I made them vegetarian because I like to watch my meat intake, but you could easily add a little chicken into the dish if you felt the urge. I adore the clean flavors of the Mediterranean as well. It feels like something a little bit different from the typical hamburger and tomato stuffed pepper. So if you’re looking for a dinner time hug, give these little guys a try.
To put a batch together, you’ll start out by coring and blanching 8 peppers.
Next up, grab your filling goodies and get cooking. I kicked it off with a little spinach, onion, garlic, zucchini and the chopped up tops (not the stem of course) from the blanched peppers. If you’re planning on incorporating chicken, do that first and then proceed with adding the veggies.
Once they’re good and sauteed, remove them from the heat and add in all the other tasty treats: the cooked barley, feta, tomatoes, dill, chickpeas, yada yada yada chicka boom boom boom. DEE-Lish.
Stir it up and stuff ’em up.
Drop them in the oven for about 10 minutes to warm up and you’re done! Time to dig in and discover the joys of chilly winter weather.
- 8 Green Bell Peppers, Cored and Tops Removed
- 1 8.5 Oz. Bag of Barley
- 4 Cups Veggie Broth
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 1 Medium Onion, Diced
- 4 Oz. Fresh Baby Spinach
- 1 Zucchini, Chopped
- ½ Fresh Lemon, Juiced
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Dill, Chopped
- 1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, Halved
- 1 Can Chickpeas, Rinsed and Drained
- ¾ Cup Fresh Crumbled Feta plus additional for sprinkling
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Gently boil the barley in veggie broth until tender. Reserve ¼ cup of the broth.
- Heat up a large pot of water to a simmer. Add in your prepared peppers and let cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove and set aside.
- Heat up the oil in a large pan on medium heat.
- If you're adding chicken, Add that to the pan first and cook until no pink remains.
- Add in the garlic, onion, spinach and zucchini.
- Cook for about 3-4 minutes until tender.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add in the barley, lemon juice, dill, tomatoes, chickpeas, reserved broth and feta.
- Stir it all together and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Grab back your peppers and stuff to the top being sure to sprinkle each with additional feta.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes until heated through.
i’ve seen and eaten many a stuffed pepper in my day, but these are uniquely delicious! great idea and execution!
by the way, i live in charlotte–are you nearby? that’d be so cool!