Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Basil-Spinach Sauce

If you’ve ever thought vegetarian main dishes are boring, TRY THIS RECIPE!  These couscous-stuffed peppers are so hearty, filling and flavorful…full of veggies, herbs and healthy grains and proteins.  Plus they’re served on top of a creamy spinach-basil sauce just so they’re not too healthy.I saw Giada making these on one of her cooking shows and immediately couldn’t get them out of my head!  She used the little Middle Eastern-style couscous, which are tiny steamed balls of semolina flour; I’m obsessed with pasta so I subbed in Israeli couscous, which is a toasted pasta shaped like little pearls.  You can use either, but cooking times will vary with the traditional couscous. These babies are full of veggies and grains, with Isreali couscous, spinach, summer squash, chickpeas, feta, parsley and dried currants.  A little veggie stock helps steam the peppers and soften the flesh and skin.  The sauce is really fresh, bright and tangy-a perfect foil for the hearty, healthy peppers.  You could certainly add shredded or diced cooked chicken if you wanted to make these for meat-eaters.

Unless you REALLY love green peppers, I wouldn’t recommend using them.  The flavor profile is completely different than sweet red, yellow or orange peppers, and I think you’d be missing some of the magic of these if you use green peppers. These are a great vegetarian option for meatless Mondays or dinner parties, especially if you’re searching for tasty vegetarian options that are satisfying and filling too.  These could even be assembled a day or two before and baked off at dinnertime for a great make-ahead meal.

Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Basil-Spinach Sauce

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 4 servings

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Description

Hearty and satisfying vegetarian stuffed peppers are filled with Israeli couscous, spinach, feta, chickpeas, summer squash, parsley and dried currants.  Serve with a creamy basil-spinach sauce.

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Ingredients

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STUFFED PEPPERS:

• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup Israeali couscous
• 1 zucchini or summer squash (or combination of both)
• One 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1 packed cup (about 1-1/2 ounces) baby spinach
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 cup (4 ounces) feta cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 multi-colored sweet bell peppers (avoid green bell peppers)

BASIL-SPINACH SAUCE:

• 1 packed cup (about 3/4 ounce) fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup (about 1-1/2 ounces) packed baby spinach
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) crème fraiche
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of granulated sugar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. To prepare the filling: Place the vegetable stock and cumin in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add the couscous, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until tender and the liquid has been almost completely absorbed, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Preheat a grill pan or skillet over high heat.  When hot, add a little olive oil and cook the zucchini/summer squash until slightly tender, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.  Remove and cut into small dice.
4. Put the couscous in a medium mixing bowl; add the grilled zucchini, garbanzo beans, currants, spinach, parsley, feta, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the seeds and any membranes you can get to; try not to remove too much of the flesh of the bell peppers.  If the pepper doesn’t sit flat, you can cut a very small sliver off the bottom to help it stand up.  Stuff the peppers with the filling; it will collapse and settle a little so don’t be afraid to really pile it in there!  Transfer the peppers to a large baking or roasting dish.  Drizzle the tops with a little olive oil to keep the filling moist.  Fill the baking dish with about 3/4-inch of vegetable stock.  Transfer to the oven and bake until the peppers are tender and the filling is cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.
6. In the meantime, make the basil-spinach sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.
7. To serve, place the peppers on dinner plates and drizzle the sauce over top and all around.

Notes

Inspiration: Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Basil Sauce on foodnetwork.com

• Category: Vegetarian