Photo: Kate Sears, Food Styling: Paul Grimes
Stuffed peppers get an update in this Mediterranean-inspired recipe for stuffed peppers. Couscous replaces rice and fragrant flavors, such as cumin, cinnamon, and fresh ginger, abound in Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers.
How to Make It
Step 1
Bring 1/2 cup lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat and let stand until water has absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous lightly with a fork and re-cover. In a small bowl, combine cumin, cinnamon, sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Step 2
Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add beef and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add onion and ginger and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes longer. Sprinkle cumin mixture over beef and sauté for 1 minute.
Step 3
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, chickpeas and apricots. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Remove from heat and stir in couscous.
Step 4
Preheat oven to 375°F and mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. If peppers don't stand upright, cut a tiny slice off bottoms of peppers to level. Stuff peppers with meat mixture; place them in baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup water into baking dish, cover with foil and bake until peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.
Tasty and satisfying