Cheesy Stuffed Peppers
Roasted bell pepper halves stuffed with spiced lentils cooked with fire roasted tomatoes and corn then topped off with melted, dripping cheese.
Did you know stuffed peppers could be that enticing? I'm not sure I did! Stuffed peppers always made me thing of ground beef which was a huge turn off for me (sorry ground beef lovers!). I knew I wanted to do a stuffed vegetable recipe when I went to the grocery store but I thought fore sure I would end up leaving with zucchini. For some reason the bell peppers just spoke to me and I decided to tackle the stuffed pepper!
Lentils are my go-to substitute for ground beef. In this recipe, I cook up onion, garlic, jalapeno, corn and extra bell pepper in smoked paprika, chili powder and cumin. Then the lentils get added along with diced fire roasted tomatoes and some water. All those flavors will develop as the lentils simmer to tender. The roasted pepper halves then get stuffed with the filling, topped with cheese and placed back in the oven for the cheese to melt. Sounds great, right?
Cheesy Stuffed Peppers
Roasted bell pepper halves stuffed with spiced lentils cooked with fire roasted tomatoes and corn then topped off with melted cheese
Serves: 4
- 4 red bell peppers, sliced in half vertically and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup corn (I used frozen)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup brown lentils
- 14.5 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated and separated
- Cilantro (optional, for topping)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Add one tablespoon olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent - about 4 - 5 minutes. Add in the corn and yellow pepper and cook for an additional 3 minutes
- Add the spices and salt and cook until fragrant - about 1 minute
- Add the lentils, tomatoes and water to the pot and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium low and cover. Cook until the lentils are tender and little liquid is remaining - about 35 minutes. If the lentils are not tender and the liquid is running low, add more water
- While the lentils are cooking, pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over both sides of all the peppers. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes until tender
- When the lentils are done cooking, add 1 cup of cheese and the black beans to the mixture and stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper to taste
- Add the filling to each cooked pepper half and top with 1/4 cup cheese
- Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted
- Top with roughly chopped cilantro, if desired
