Seeing the coming and going of peppers in the supermarkets is bittersweet. You wait all summer and by this time you sort of get sick of them because all you see is peppers EVERYWHERE. But I sort of feel bad thinking that because I know that in a few months I’m going to wish I could eat fresh local produce again. So what do you do??? You learn to embrace the season and take in as much freshness as you can.
On my Instagram stories, I did a session demonstrating how we make and preserve roasted red peppers in the freezer. As the years go by, our friends are enjoying the taste and have joined in on our tradition. They are especially enjoyed near the end of the winter and into the beginning of spring. I will share the process of roasted red peppers with you at a later date.
In the meantime, here is how I prepare my healthy, hearty stuffed red peppers. You will have to start with a meaty tomato sauce. I have linked my recipe here.
You will need:
- 3 large red peppers
- 2 cups meaty tomato sauce (you can use a vegan one, if desired, just add finely chopped carrots and celery into the mix to replace meat)
- 1 mozzarella ball (about 1/2 cup grated) and 6 thin slices to top
- 1 cup Quinoa Brown Rice blend (I used the Elan Bio brand which also had split peas and amaranyth)
- olive oil and white wine to drizzle
- salt (if added to tomato sauce, you probably won’t need any more since mozzarella is salty as well)
How to make it:
- Cook quinoa/rice mix according to package instructions. Drain and let cool.
- Preheat oven to 350. Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and stem. Drizzle olive oil and a splash of wine on a Pyrex or glass baking dish. Place the peppers on the dish, hollow side facing up.
- Add tomato sauce and shredded cheese to the cooled rice. Mix. Fill peppers generously.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften. At the last 5 minutes, place a cheese slice on top of each pepper. Bake for 5 min longer or until cheese melts (you can broil it for a minute if you wish).