A few weeks ago I bought some ready-made stuffed peppers at Costco and we absolutely loved them. There were six or eight in the container so I put most of them in the freezer and we got several meals out of them. Then we wanted more, so I went to work coming up with a recipe that would be a little healthier than the ones we had from Costco, but still delicious enough to make us want more.
I wanted to keep this a meatless meal, so I used farro, which is a healthy alternative to rice because it’s higher in fiber and protein than rice. Try to find the semi-pearled variety or the whole grain variety (this one requires overnight soaking). I did add a good bit of cheese which probably decreased the healthy factor, but hey, it’s got to taste great too!
You can pair this with a simple tossed salad and you have a lovely meal that’s good for you and tastes awesome. And these peppers freeze well also, so you can make a little more and have some extra stored away.
Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers, I like to use assorted colors
- 4 cups cooked farro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 8 oz. jar julienned sundried tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup grated Asiago cheese
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Slice tops from peppers and remove ribs and seeds. Save tops.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high. Saute onion and pepper for about five minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Turn heat down to medium-low and add farro and sundried tomatoes and stir gently.
- Add Asiago cheese, Pecorino cheese, Italian herbs, salt, and pepper and stir. Cook until cheese is melted. If too thick, you can add a little chicken broth or water but don’t get it too watery. Remove from heat.
- Make sauce: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the water, tomato paste, and olive oil. Pour in bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- Place peppers in sauce in dish. Spoon the farro mixture evenly into the peppers. Cover the peppers with the pepper top and then cover the whole dish with tin foil. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes. Remove dish from oven, remove pepper tops, and sprinkle the filled peppers evenly with the Parmesan cheese.
- Return to oven and bake another 10 minutes until cheese is melted. To serve, spoon the sauce over the filling of each pepper until the sauce is gone. Sprinkle each pepper with a little chopped fresh parsley.
