I must admit that this was hardly a collaborative effort between my husband and myself, although that was the original intention. I prepared the beans (by generously opening the tins) and he prepared the rest of this River Cottage-inspired recipe for a super-tasty veggie dinner (and left-over lunch). These were not only yummy, but really cute too. I love the little hats on the peppers!
Bell peppers stuffed with beans- guilt-free, gluten-free, Mex-inspired yumminess
BELL PEPPERS STUFFED WITH BEANS
Prep Time: 10 Min, Cook Time: 30 Min, Serves: 3
INGREDIENTS:
6 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
2–3 shallots, or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
150–200g tomatoes
480g borlotti beans (2 tins)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the grill to high. Lay the peppers on a baking tray (place high in the oven) and grill, turning from time to time, until the skins begin to char. Leave until cool enough to handle, then carefully peel away the skins, taking care to keep the peppers whole. Cut around and remove the stalks and a flap of flesh to form a ‘lid’. Carefully scrape out all the seeds and membranes from inside the peppers and lids. Tip out any juice.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat, then gently sauté the shallots or onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Slice the tomatoes in half and grate their flesh straight into the pan, holding back the skin. Simmer for a minute or two to reduce slightly. Remove from the heat.
- Add the drained beans to the pan and roughly mash some of them with a fork, so they break up a little – don’t overdo it, you want lots of them to stay whole. Add the cumin and paprika, mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff the mixture carefully into the chillies and top with the ‘lids’. Lay them in a lightly oiled ovenproof dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- While the chillies are in the oven, combine the yoghurt with the crushed garlic (or prepare guacamole,) and some salt and pepper, if serving, and set aside. Serve the stuffed peppers hot, with a spoonful of garlicky yoghurt or guacamole, and a crisp, green salad.
To serve: GARLICKY YOGHURT (optional*)
6 tablespoons plain (full-fat) yoghurt
½ garlic clove, crushed
*For a vegan alternative, guacamole would be delicious!
*Closely adapted from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
Love it! I never thought of stuffing peppers with beans. I have always used rice. What a wonderful healthy idea! Looks delicious : )
Thank you 🙂 They were really tasty! I find the River Cottage Veg Every Day book is just packed with yummy, inspiring veggie dishes. I actually didn’t realise how healthy this one was until I started typing out the ingredients list. I am always impressed by simple, hearty, healthy food… such a good combination 🙂
Your stuffed peppers look mad my friend, I love them! 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Aw, thanks so much! I can’t really take the credit as my husband assembled them… but I did take the picture with my iPhone, if that added to their visual appeal 😉 x
Oh, I love stuffed peppers:) I will have to try this:)
Let me know what you think! I am so glad we found this recipe… they really are yummy 🙂
I love the idea of beans in them:) I have always but grains & rice in them but never beans!!!
Yes, I wondered if it would taste like they were “missing” something… but honestly, no! I was very surprised!
I would omit the skinning of the peppers next time and add a touch more seasoning to the filling (garlic perhaps?) Otherwise lovely – I served with Saute potatoes and Mangetout xx
Absolutely right, Tracy! I would no longer skin the peppers myself (as I now make a different version and it works just as well, but involves less fiddliness!). And garlic – or even garlic powder – would be perfect to add too. Love what you served them with! Thank you for the feedback, Tracy! Appreciate it very much xx