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mediterranean chickpea stuffed peppers 301338628

Mediterranean Chickpea Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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Enjoy these Greek-style stuffed peppers with seasoned meat, rice, chickpeas, and herbs—a perfect make-ahead or freezer-friendly main or side dish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings: 1
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Greek/Mediterranean
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Greek extra virgin olive oil I used Private Reserve EVOO
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • Kosher salt + black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 2 garlic cloves minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
  • 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 small bunch fresh parsley chopped ( about 1 cup packed fresh parsley. Or a mixture of chopped fresh parsley and fresh dill)
  • 1 cup white rice soaked in water for 2o to 30 minutes, then drained
  • 3/4 tsp hot or sweet paprika
  • 1/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 1/4 cup water
  • 6 bell peppers any colors, tops removed and cored
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth or water

Method
 

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin oil in a medium heavy pot. Sauté the chopped onions until golden. Add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned. Season with salt, pepper, allspice, and minced garlic (or garlic powder). Stir in the chickpeas and cook briefly.
  2. Add the parsley, soaked and drained rice, paprika, and tomato sauce to the same pot. Stir to combine. Add water and bring to a high simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked and tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  3. While the rice cooks, heat a grill, indoor griddle, or skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the bell peppers for 10-15 minutes, covered, turning as needed until softened and colored. Remove from heat and set aside to cool briefly.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Arrange the bell peppers open-side up in a baking dish filled with 3/4 cup broth or water. Fill each bell pepper with the cooked stuffing mixture of meat, rice, and chickpeas.
  6. Cover the baking dish with foil, ensuring it does not touch the stuffed peppers. Place the dish on the middle rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.
  8. To serve Greek-style, add Tzatziki sauce and Greek salad as sides.

Notes

  • Variations for Stuffed Bell Peppers: If you like you can replace the ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken. Or you can make these stuffed peppers vegan by eliminating the meat all together. And to try different flavors, you can replace ground allspice with ground cumin or Italian seasoning. This is a dairy free stuffed pepper recipe, but if you want to add cheese, a sprinkle of crumbled feta added at the end is a good option.
  • To Prepare Ahead: You can prepare the rice mixture one day in advance if you like by following steps #1 and #2. Let the rice cool completely before storing in the fridge. And you can also prepare the peppers per step #3. Store the peppers in the fridge separately once cooled. The next day, you can assemble the stuffed bell peppers and bake (steps #5 and #6). It may help to bring the stuffed peppers to room temperature before baking.
  • Can you freeze cooked stuffed peppers? First, be sure to cool the stuffed peppers completely. You can portion and store them in freezer-safe containers and freeze for 1 to 2 months. Thaw in fridge overnight, and warm up in a medium-heated oven (it helps to add a little bit of liquid to your baking dish, and cover the peppers before placing in oven.)
  • Visit our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and all-natural and organic spices used in this recipe