Recipes

Vegetarian Stuffed Capsicum

June 25, 2018 by cbattaglia No Comments

An all- time favourite traditional dish in my family, however usually cooked with minced meat! I like to experiment with different forms of protein for variety and balance. My main substitute for minced meat in this dish, are red kidney beans! They are rich in protein, fibre and some iron. Canned Red Kidney Beans are a great alternative to raw ones, as they are already cooked and ready-to-go! Enjoy my Vegetarian Stuffed Capsicums with a side salad for lunch or dinner!

Serves 4

Ingredients
  • 1 ½ basmatic or brown rice (rinse thoroughly)
  • 1 ½ cup of vegetable stock (salt reduced)
  • 1 ½ cups of passata
  • 1 ½ tsp mixed herbs
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn kernals, drained and rinsed (optional)
  • 1 cup pumpkin, cubed
  • 4 red or green peppers, centre removed,
  • 4 tbs passata, extra
  • 2 tsp of herbs, extra
  • 2 tbs EVOO
  • 2 tbs shredded cheese (remove for vegan option)
  • 1 tb tahini (to serve)
Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C (356F)

Step 2
In a large pan, add rice, vegetable stock, passata, mixed herbs and garlic, paprika, cumin, pumpkin, mushrooms and red onion. Simmer until rice is fully cooked.

Step 3
In the meantime, place the capsicums into a casserole, adding a layer of passata and herbs at the bottom, then sprinkle the capsicums with EVOO. Place in the oven and cook for 10-15minutes.

Step 4
Once rice is cooked, add red kidney beans and corn kernals (optional), and cook for an additional 5minutes.

Step 5
Remove capsicums from the oven, and evenly add the rice filling into each one.

Step 6
Cover with foil and return to the oven, and cook for an additional 20 minutes, or until capsicums look and feel soft.

Step 7
Remove the foil and add shredded cheese (for vegan option, skip this step). Cook for 5 more minutes until the capsicums brown a little on top.

Step 8
Once removed from the oven, serve hot with a side salad and a tablespoon of tahini