Greek Stuffed Peppers

 

With vibrant spices like cumin, coriander, and cinnamon, plus zesty herbs and fresh veggies, Mediterranean cuisine is a feast for the senses—deliciously nutritious! Stuffed peppers have global appeal, with roots in Spain, India, and North America. In Greece, they’re known as Gemista—succulent vegetables baked to perfection. These Greek gems are packed with flavor from ground meat or chickpeas and aromatic spices!

Ingredients

 8 large bell peppers (we like red or a mix of red, orange, and green)—look for ones with flat bottoms if possible as they are the easiest to stand up in the pan

1-pound lean ground beef, lamb, or bison I use Lamb for Greek Dishes

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional

1 (14-ounce) can reduced sodium chickpeas rinsed and drained

1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices

¾ cup cooked brown rice bulgur, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, I use Jasmine Rice

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley plus additional for serving

1 cup crumbled feta cheese divided

Instructions

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour a little bit of water into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish, or a similar casserole dish that is large enough to hold the peppers with them standing up (if they all won’t fit in one dish, you can divide them between two and bake on the upper/lower thirds of the oven instead).

Prepare the peppers: Cut the tops off the bell peppers (cut as close to the top as possible to allow max space for stuffing). With your fingers, carefully remove and discard the ribs and seeds, leaving the walls of the peppers intact. Stand them up in the baking dish side by side so that they do not fall over.

Prepare the filling: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, salt, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. If at any point the meat begins to stick to the pan or looks very dry (this will vary based on the fat content of your meat), drizzle in a bit of olive oil as needed.

Stir in the chickpeas and diced tomatoes and juices. Let simmer for 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the rice, parsley, and 2/3 cup feta. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. If the filling seems overly dry, splash in a few tablespoons of water (I added about 2 tablespoons).

With a small spoon, mound the filling inside the peppers, pressing it down lightly with your fingers as needed so you can use it all (the peppers will be very full).

Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup feta.

Return them to the oven to bake until the feta is slightly browned and the peppers are fork tender, about 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

TO STORE: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight storage container for up to 4 days.

TO REHEAT: For the best results, cut the peppers into a few pieces first so that they warm evenly. Place stuffed peppers in the oven in a baking dish cut-side-up, and warm at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You can also gently reheat leftovers in the microwave.

TO FREEZE: Place cooked leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Elizabeth Kilbride is a Writer and Editor with forty years of experience in writing, with 12 of those years in the online content sphere. Author of 5 books and a Graduate with an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management, a bachelor’s in mass communication and cyber-Analysis, a master’s in criminology with emphasis on Cybercrime and Identity Theft and is currently studying for her Ph.D. degree in Criminology. Her work portfolio includes coverage of politics, current affairs, elections, history, and true crime. Elizabeth is also a gourmet cook, life coach, and avid artist in her spare time, proficient in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink, gouache, and pastels. As a political operative who has worked on over 300 campaigns during her career, Elizabeth has turned many life events into books and movie scripts while using history to weave interesting storylines. She also runs 7 blogs ranging from art to life coaching, food, writing, Gardening, and opinion or history pieces each week.

Greek Cuisine, Mediterranean, Kilbride, Potpourri of Frugality, Homemade, Do it yourself