When we started out to make these we were supposed to be having stuffed zucchini, but we soon realized we had a problem. We had the tiniest zucchini on the planet. This is what happens when Jason shops for zucchini. He always grabs super tiny ones. As we amassed the stuff we were supposed to actually stuff into this tiny zucchini onto the counter we realized...this isn't gonna work. So, being the resourceful people that we are we decided to make stuffed bell pepper instead. Regardless of the mix up it was a great dish with lots of flavor and made eating those veggies to be truly enjoyable. Plus...bonus, these are really easy to make.
The recipe for this wonderful side dish came from kind of a funny place...a calendar. Way back at the beginning of 2010 our Grocery store, Natural Grocers, was giving out free calendars. We didn't yet have a 2010 calendar so we snatched one up and brought it home. It was filled with a new recipe card every month and a coupon. Hooray. Many many months passed and neither of us spent much time paying attention to our calendar as it was hanging in our spare room next to the very rarely used treadmill. That was all until a few weeks ago when Cassie injured her knee and was unable to go running outside and had to settle for walking slowly on the treadmill. As she passed to tedious time her gaze shifted from the wall in front of her to the October page of the calendar to her right. She was looking at the recipe and decided that it looked pretty good and it needed to make an appearance on our menu sometime soon. Boy are we glad it did too. This may become one of our new favorite ways to eat a load of vegetables.
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Adapted from our Natural Grocers 2010 calendar
1 medium green bell pepper
1/2 T. olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini or summer squash, diced
1 large tomato, diced
4 scallions sliced
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg, gently whisked
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice green bell pepper in half from top to bottom, remove the seeds and the stem and set aside.
2) In a skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and red bell pepper to the skillet and saute for about 7-10 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the zucchini, tomato and scallions and saute another 3-5 minutes.
3) Meanwhile in a medium bowl mix together Parmesan, red pepper flakes, bread crumbs and salt and pepper. Stir till they are well combined and then add the egg. Mix well into the breadcrumb and cheese mixture until incorporated. After the vegetables are done add them to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well until they are well coated.
4) Fill the green bell pepper halves with the vegetable mixture and place in a non stick oven dish. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until the tops of the stuffed peppers are golden brown. Serve hot.
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