There are certain dishes I've really had to persuade my husband to eat because of his childhood experiences. For example, stuffed peppers were one of my greatest hurdles because he was used to traditional peppers, cooked in a giant pot of tomato broth. I've assured him every time I make stuffed peppers that mine are nothing like that and slowly he's warmed up to the idea. This particular recipe comes from The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen and is one of my favorites from the book. These lasagna stuffed peppers embody everything in lasagna but in fun, individual portions. I like to slightly pre cook the peppers but if you prefer a crisp, crunchy pepper, you can easily skip that step.
Combining two classical dinner dishes into one, these lasagna stuffed peppers use orzo in place of the lasagna noodles for quick assembly.
Tips & Tricks: Depending on the pepper size, you might have extra filling. I like to mix everything together in a small baking dish, top with a bit of extra cheese and bake until bubbling.
For the tomato sauce, you can make your own or use store-bought to speed up the recipe.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: orzo, oregano, tomato sauce
Nutrition: See the information.
Any variation of a lasagna recipe could easily be turned into a stuffed pepper. As a result, you can easily experiment with the filling. I like to use the homemade roasted tomato sauce listed above when I have fresh tomatoes during the summer or I'll occasionally make a white sauce instead. But if you're looking for inspiration, here are a couple ways you could mix this recipe up.
Greens: I like to add spinach and/or kale to the lasagna stuffed peppers. I'll wilt the greens with a bit of olive oil and garlic then mix it into the ricotta before stuffing the pepper.
Cheese: I usually use a mild cheese but a more flavorful cheese could be used. I like smoked gouda, goat cheese, or even blue cheese.
Gluten-Free: You could use a gluten-free grain like quinoa or you could use a smaller, gluten-free pasta. Delallo makes a gluten-free orzo that would be perfect!
Peppers are one of the ingredients I always have on hand during the summer. However, they rarely take center in a recipe. I love showcasing the sweet (and occasionally spicy) flavor of the peppers along with other summer produce. Look for different varieties of peppers at the markets- my favorite is a sweet Italian frying pepper called Jimmy Nardello peppers.
Breakfast Quesadillas with Peppers
Cauliflower Stir Fry with Quinoa
Garlicky Shishito Black Bean Quesadillas
YES! I want this tonight for dinner!
Can't believe I never thought of this before ... totally trying this one out!
Looks like a simple yet satisfying dish. Definitely could try it with aubergine as well. Would be an interesting dimension.
This was delicious and so easy to make.