Stuffed Peppers
A great way to use up leftovers. In this case, we are using about 1/2-2/3 of the Mujadara recipe but you could stuff them with any rice or legume (or ground meat) mixture that you like.
- 4 large bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup leftover mujadara (seasoned rice, lentil and onion pilaf from a previous recipe)
- 1-2 cup tomato sauce* (fresh or canned, see notes section for other ideas)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
- 1 teaspoon harissa pasta (store bought or homemade)
- 8 dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms (re-hydrated and minced)
- crumbled tofu bits
- 2 tablespoons each raisins and pine nuts plus 1/4t cinnamon
- fresh herbs (like parsley or cilantro)
- chili flakes
- crumbled bits of feta (if you're not serving to vegans)
- Prep the Peppers
Slice off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Place the bell pepper cups in a pan that is just big enough to hold them upright.
Take the tops that you have removed, and cut around the green stem to get all the pepper flesh and chop those bits up to add to the mujadara filling in a bowl (discard the stem).
- The Filling
Into the bowl with the mujadara and bell pepper bits, add tomato paste and any additional flavourings you think you might like.
Stuff the cavities of each bell pepper to the top.
- The Sauce
Mix the tomato sauce, garlic and salt and pepper. You can add a splash of apple cider vinegar if you want to go for a sweet & sour vibe.
Pour the sauce around the outside of the peppers until it comes about half way up the side of the peppers.
- Baking
Cover the pan with an oven-safe lid or a piece of foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes, remove the lid/foil and bake for another 40-50 minutes until the peppers are very tender.
Serve by pouring some of the sauce over the peppers as you plate them.
You can use raw or cooked fresh tomatoes blitzed in a blender, a store-bought canned tomato sauce, blended canned tomatoes or a leftover pasta/pizza sauce like Marcella Hazan tomato sauce.
