This vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe was a successful experiment yesterday and my head is buzzing with alternative filling ideas now! Here’s the first tried and tested one :-)

What you need

  • 2 red peppers, heads sliced off and seeds scooped out

  • 1 courgette, diced (aubergines will taste great too!)

  • 1 red onion, chopped fine

  • 4 cloves of garlic, sliced

  • 1 tomato, chopped fine

  • 2 tbsp tomato purée

  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

  • salt and pepper

  • olive oil

  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar (feta will taste great too!)

  • a small handful of parsley, chopped fine

  • 1.5 handfuls of long grained rice - I used basmati

What you do

  1. Rinse the rice and add to a saucepan with a large pinch of salt, and fill with water (1 cm above the level of the rice) on high

  2. When it starts boiling, reduce to low and cover and simmer for about 10 mins, until the rice is cooked

  3. In the meantime, heat a large glug of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium

  4. When hot, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes until starting to brown

  5. Then add the onions and cook until softened

  6. Then the tomatoes, and purée. Give it all a good stir and allow to cook until the tomatoes have broken down and the oil starts to separate

  7. Courgettes go in next. Salt and pepper, and turmeric. Give it all a good mix, add a little water if sticking to the bottom, cover and cook until the courgettes are tender. You’ll need to stir every now and then and add a little water if needed

  8. When the courgettes are cooked, add the smoked paprika, the parsley and coriander, and give it all a good mix. Allow to cook for a couple more minutes

  9. Then add your cooked rice (don’t have to use all of it if it’s too much for the sauce you have). Add a little bit at a time, mixing through with the sauce as you go along. You don’t want it all to be dry, needs to be the consistency of a cooked risotto. You may need to add more olive oil too (I did)

  10. Then stir in half the cheese, we’ll sprinkle the rest on top before we bake. Taste and if your filling needs more seasoning, do that now

  11. Brush the insides of the peppers with a bit of olive oil, and scoop the filling into them, packing it in!

  12. Top with cheese

  13. Into the oven at 180C for about 30 mins, until the peppers have shrivelled and cooked through

That’s it!

Tip: if you have black olives, slice a handful and stir in to the rice too, just before step 10!

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