Stuffed peppers with chickpeas, courgette and feta

Stuffed peppers with chickpeas, courgette and feta

The amazing weather we’re enjoying at the moment has got us in the mood for sunny, colourful ingredients and the freshest flavours. Say hello to our stuffed peppers.

Loaded with a zesty, herby, chickpea and feta filling – these peppers are great for barbecues and summer days, but work anytime, and taste great cold too – good for lunches, picnics…

There are so many ways to vary these up (we’ve given some ideas below), so play around with the filling to use up leftover ingredients. Here’s the tried and tested method we love.

Serves 4

You will need:

• 4 large peppers, sliced in half vertically, through the stalk, membrane and seeds removed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup (100g) bulgur wheat, rinsed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 courgette, chopped into small cubes
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• 1/2 cup (120ml) organic vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup (75g) feta cheese, crumbled
• Sprig mint leaves, finely chopped
• Small handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Fresh lemon
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
2. Rub the sliced peppers all over with 2 tbsp of olive oil using your hands. Season with salt and pepper, then place on a baking tray and roast for 15-20 mins until soft and the skins are a little wrinkled and blistered.
3. Meanwhile, boil the bulgur wheat in a pan with a cup (240ml) of water, then simmer for 10-15 mins until water has absorbed.
4. While the bulgur wheat is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over a low-moderate heat and cook the onion for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Then add the garlic, courgette, tomato, chickpeas and stock. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins until the chickpeas are soft.
5. Transfer the bulgur wheat to a large bowl and add the chickpea mixture, half the feta, the mint, coriander, a good squeeze of lemon juice (roughly quarter of a lemon), season with black pepper and mix well. Feta is quite salty so you shouldn’t need to add extra salt, but adjust to your taste.
6. Pack the cooked peppers with the mixture using a teaspoon, then sprinkle the remaining feta over the tops.
7. Serve the peppers as they are, or if you have time, put them back in the oven for 10 mins to bake the feta and crisp up the bulgur on top.

NOTES

Try adding a small handful of chopped olives or sun-dried tomatoes to the chickpea mixture

You could use quinoa, millet or brown rice in place of the bulgur

Swap the herbs we’ve suggested for a handful of fresh basil leaves

Cooking the peppers on the barbecue will make them taste even more amazing!

See more Lunch recipes

Tweet