I know, another vegetarian dish, blah blah blah, but when you can pack a dish totally full of great flavors and make it healthy, it's just good, period.
Did I just say that?
I mean, I'm such a carnivore-- stuff me full of spare ribs, a Cowboy Ribeye, or a grilled chicken and I'm a happy guy, believe me.
But I've always enjoyed veggie dishes that are packed with flavor- a great veggie curry, or spinach and garlic pizzas, that don't make me aware that I haven't had any meat in the entire meal. So when I saw beautiful red bell peppers with a perfect shape for stuffing, I knew what was going to be on the menu.
Veggie Stuffed Red Bell Peppers
This dish is a red bell pepper stuffed with yellow squash, red and green onions, mushrooms, fontina cheese, pine nuts, garlic, fresh basil, brown rice and parmesan bread crumbs with a little balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. There are a few things I like to do with stuffed peppers- first, take the time to precook your filling, especially if you're using vegetables or meat that will release a lot of juices, turning your pepper into a watery mess. I toasted the pine nuts first, and added them to a work bowl with a chiffonade of fresh basil and chunks of fontina, because I didn't want to cook the basil more than necessary, then added the sauteed veggies, gave it a quick stir, then assembled the peppers with a layer of brown rice and the rest on top.
Secondly, as an insurance policy, use something absorbent in the bottom inch or so of your pepper, in my case it was the brown rice.
I baked these off in a convection oven at around 375º until they were soft and had a nice color. I added the bread crumbs and let them get golden. I should have let this sit a few minutes before I cut it, so the filling didn't pour out, but who cares, right?
This is one of the best things I've made lately, give it a try!
