Stuffed Bell Peppers

You can use this filling for bell peppers, poblanos and smaller cubanelle peppers or try it for stuffed zucchini!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

Meat version: 1 pound ground pork (or chorizo or sausage)

Veggie version: use Soyrizo or replace meat with cooked black beans, plus 1 beaten egg to bind the mixture

4-6 bell peppers

1 pound tomatoes, quartered, or 1 pint diced canned tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon thyme, Italian seasoning, or Herbes de Provence

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil 1 cup of water, slightly salted. Add 1/2 cup of quinoa. Bring back to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the quinoa steam for 15 more minutes. Let cool. Cut out the stem end of the bell peppers, remove stem and seed core, and scoop out most of remaining seeds. Season the ground pork with salt and pepper, add the cooled-off quinoa, and mix well. You can also add some herbs/spices for extra flavor. If you’re making the veggie version, make the stuffing by mixing the quinoa, beans, egg and seasoning. Stuff the bell peppers with the ground meat/quinoa mix. If you end up with extra mix, stuff more bell peppers if you have any. If not, just make a few meatballs. If you have extra bell peppers, dice them and saute them with the onions.

In a large pot on medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 10 minutes. Place the stuffed peppers (and meatballs if any) in the sauce. Cover, bring back to a simmer and cook for another 45 minutes. Serve with rice.

Submitted by Philippe Waterinckx, Tucson CSA