Ease of Preparation: Easy
Yield: Serves 8-10, as an appetizer
Red Rice Stuffed Peppers
You’ve never had stuffed peppers like this before! The red rice is so packed full of spicy and savoury flavours that it could share a plate with any protein but stuffing it into sweet bell peppers keeps this dish veg-centric.
Ingredients:
Red Rice:
- 2 cups (470 ml) red cargo rice
- 3 cups (710 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 green peppers, diced
- 1 red Thai chili, seeded and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) smoked paprika
- 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 15oz (450 ml) can, red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lime, juice
- 15 ounces (425 g) grated mozzarella cheese
To Assemble:
- 8 red bell peppers
- 1 cup (240 ml) grated mozzarella
- 1 cup (240 ml) panko breadcrumbs
- Whole Italian parsley leaves with stem
Method:
For the Red Rice:
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
In a medium pot bring the vegetable stock to a boil and add the rice. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 30 minutes.
Remove pot from the heat, let rest for 5 minutes.
Transfer rice to a tray and fluff with 2 forks. Reserve.
Heat the oil in a large wok over medium high.
Fry the onions, green peppers, chili pepper, and garlic until softened, 4-5 minutes.
Add the cumin, oregano, paprika, and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cooked rice, beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-7 minutes, tossing and stirring occasionally to crisp up the rice.
Remove pan from heat and let the rice chill for 15 minutes. Squeeze lime juice into the rice. Fold in the mozzarella.
To Assemble:
Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C)
Cut the tops off the bell peppers, removed the seeds.
Fill the hollowed out bell peppers with the rice mixture, pack tight, top with mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs.
Bake until peppers are tender, roughly 25 minutes.
Set the peppers on a serving tray, scattering the parsley overtop of them. Serve immediately.
