Couscous Stuffed Bell Peppers
These couscous stuffed bell peppers are delicious, healthy and a great dish to meal prep.
Ingredients
- 3 Bell Peppers use red or a variety of colors to make the dish pop
- 2 cup cooked couscous look at notes for cooking instructions
- 1 can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 medium Yellow Onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 medium Carrots peeled and diced
- 4 cloves Garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 3 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon Harissa Paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoon Cilantro washed and chopped
- 2 tablespoon Mint Leaves washed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 2 tablespoon Slivered Almonds
- 2 tablespoon Black or Golden raisins optional
- ¼ cup Crumbled Feta or Vegan Feta optional
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan. Add the couscous to a heat proof bowl along with some salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Mix well and add the hot water carefully to the bowl. Cover the bowl and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork once the liquid has absorbed.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds until gently browned. Pour the diced onion in to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes until softened.
- Add the carrots and cook for another 5 minutes, followed by diced tomatoes. Cook for another minute before adding the ground coriander, cumin, salt and turmeric. Mix well and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
- Then add chickpeas followed by paprika, a little bit of salt and some cracked black pepper. Cook for about 2–3 minutes. Mix in the cooked couscous, harissa paste, mint and coriander(cilantro) leaves. Add more seasoning if needed. After a couple of minutes, turn off the stove. Top with raisins, slivered almonds and feta is using.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice the bell peppers length wise right in the middle. If the peppers contain a stalk, you can cut the peppers right next to the stalk. Remove the seeds the seeds and membranes. Brush a little bit of the olive oil on all of them and lay them flat in a lightly greased baking dish. Make sure the open side is on top.
- Spoon the couscous mixture into the prepared peppers. You can add a little bit of water to the bottom of the pan to help the peppers cook with steam. However, I did not do that.Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the peppers are tender and appear slightly roasted.
You can also follow the instructions on the packaging on how to prepare the couscous. If using Israeli couscous, follow the instructions to cook it according to the package as well since it requires different cooking times.