Stuffed Bell Peppers are Comforting and Practical

Orange bell pepper made with half black rice and half faro

Stuffed bell peppers are both comforting and a great way to clean out the fridge. One bite and you will know why they are comforting. But why practical? Because you can literally stuff them with whatever is in your fridge and pantry. For this recipe I use black rice, spinach, chorizo sausage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, feta and parmesan cheese. It is a great combo, but you can substitute just about anything on the ingredient list except for the bell peppers themselves.

General Method for Making Stuffed Peppers & Specifics for this Recipe

Prep a Grain, Legume or Pasta

You can use  black rice, white rice, brown rice, couscous, Israeli couscous, faro, quinoa, lentils or small pasta such as orzo. For six peppers prep 2 - 2 1/2 cooked cups of what ever grain you are using. I recommend two things:

1. Cook your grain or pasta in chicken or vegetable stock to boost flavor.
2. Cook it to al dente, or just less than al dente as the grain, legume or pasta will continue to cook when you bake the stuffed peppers.

For this recipe I used black rice cooked in chicken stock. I like to use black rice for its nutritional value and great texture. I have also combined black rice with faro and kept the rest of the recipe the same. I like the combination of black rice and faro and feel it increases the spectrum of nutrients in the dish.  

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Black rice is actually purple, but it is so intensely purple that it looks black. You will see after it is cooked the purple color becomes more apparent. Black rice is abundantly nutritious with more antioxidants than blueberries. It has a nutty taste and chewy texture and is higher in fiber, iron and protein than white or brown rice. In ancient China black rice was known as forbidden rice because only royalty could afford to eat it and it was thus forbidden to the masses. Thankfully, black rice is now available to regular folk and can be found at many grocery stores, Asian markets and Amazon.

Prep the Peppers

Prepping the peppers is simple.

1. I recommend red, orange and yellow peppers because they have better flavor and are less bitter. It is a personal choice, but I never buy green peppers as I think the red/orange/yellow ones are so superior.
2. Slice off the top of the pepper. You can choose to keep the caps and reassemble the peppers after stuffing the peppers or dice them and use them in the vegetable mixture you will soon be cooking.
3. Twist and pull out the seed core and rinse out any remaining seeds. You may have 2 or 3 ridges of pith left inside the peppers. Remove those with a sharp paring knife.
4. To make your peppers stand up without wobbling, you may want to take a tiny slice off the bottom to create a flat surface. Stand the pepper up to determine what point is preventing the pepper from standing up straight. Turn the pepper over and trim off a tiny bit of the highest point on the bottom of the pepper.

For this recipe I use red and orange bell peppers.

Cook the Protein or Skip if You Are Making Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

1. If you are using using any kind of meat, sausage, bacon, chicken or even fish, dice it or crumble it and cook it in a pan if it is not already cooked. You can also use left over cooked meat or chicken, which will save you one step.

If you are cooking the meat, I splash a little olive oil in the pan and sauté until done. Remove the meat and set aside. If the protein is oily, like sausage, lay out on a paper towel covered plate to absorb the excess oil.

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For this recipe I use Mexican chorizo sausage.

Prep and Cook the Veggies 

1. The easiest way to prep your veggies is by using a food processor or Cuisinart Mini-Prep. This will take your prep down to seconds instead of minutes. I always mince the garlic first, and by itself, so I can get a very fine mince. I then add the other vegetables to the food processor and pulse them to get larger pieces.
2. Possible vegetables include: fennel, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and spinach. The possibilities are endless and what a great way to use up extra veggies sitting in your fridge! Don't forget about chopping and adding the pepper caps into the vegetable mix.
3.  Start by sautéing the onions and garlic together for about 5 minutes. Add firmer veggies that require longer cooking first and then add the fast cooking ingredients like spinach last. I use the same pan I cooked the meat in and take advantage of any flavorful leftover oils. If there is not enough leftover oil, I use a splash of olive oil to start the sauté.

For this recipe I used garlic, onions, mushrooms, spinach and the leftover bell pepper caps.

Combine the Stuffing Ingredients

This picture shows a variation on the recipe where I combine black rice and faro.

1. Combine the cooked grains, protein, vegetables and cheese.
2. You can use virtually any cheese in your fridge: mozzarella, burrata, feta, blue cheese, manchego, gruyere, cheddar. You name it, it will work. I mix all of the main cheese in with the grains, meat and veggies, but you can reserve a little extra to put on top of the stuffed bell peppers. I do like to finish the stuffed peppers with a grating of parmesan or pecorino cheese, as these create a nice flavor cap.

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For this recipe I used crumbled feta in the stuffing mixture and grated parmesan to finish the stuffed pepper.

Assembling the Stuffed Bell Peppers

In this version, I double the recipe and combine black rice with faro

1. Assembling is just a matter of spooning the grain, meat, veggie and cheese mixture into the prepared pepper cavities. Divide your mixture evenly between your peppers filling them up to the top, but do not pack in too tightly.
2. Place the peppers side-by-side in a baking pan. Choose a baking pan that allows you to fill up the pan with your peppers so they stand up shoulder-to-shoulder inside the pan.
3. At this point the peppers can be covered and stored in the fridge until you are ready to bake.

Baking the Stuffed Bell Peppers

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of the pan taking care not to get the water inside the stuffed bell peppers. Use more water for larger pans and less water for smaller pans. The purpose of the water is to steam the peppers.
2. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 - 40 minutes covered. Remove the foil and sprinkle 1 T of parmesan cheese on top of each pepper. Return to the oven uncovered and bake another 10 minutes to brown up the tops. You can also turn the broiler on and blast them for a few minutes to melt the cheese.

Serving Stuffed Bell Peppers

Red peppers made with all black rice

You can serve the peppers by themselves, but I like to create a complete meal by serving them on a bed of arugula or spinach to get a few more veggies in the mix.  

Freezing and Reheating Stuffed Bell Peppers

1. Allow your cooked peppers to cool to room temperature. Wrap peppers individually in plastic wrap. Place wrapped peppers inside a zip lock bag with as much air removed as you can. Peppers can be stored for three months and all the way up to a year.
2. To reheat, place in a lightly oiled baking pan side-by-side and cook at 350 degrees F until warmed all the way through, about 30 minutes.

More Black Rice Recipe

• Roasted Cauliflower and Black Rice Salad
•  Turkey, Wild & Black Rice Salad

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