Mediterranean Stuffed Capsicums (Meat & Veggie Options)

Stuffed Capsicums: Cater to Everyone’s Preference.

(GF/VEG option)

Dinner: Stuffed Capsicums with Passionfruit Gin and Tonic 😅

Versatile and easy going, stuffed capsicums really feel like a cosy home-made dish. From Mediterranean, Mexican (think corn and beans) or Asian (think sweet chilli pork), the filling options are endless.

I like a Mediterranean-style filling, so here are my veggie and meat recipes below.

Ingredients

• 3 Capsicums (I like green, yellow and red ones)

Veggie Option

• 1 can Chickpeas

• 1/2 cup Quinoa + 1 cup Boiling Water

• Fresh Parsley

• Handful of Pepitas or Pine Nuts

Meat Option

• 300g of Minced Beef

• Handful of Cherry Tomatoes

• Fresh Parsley

Spices and Condiments

• Spices: Olive Oil, Paprika, S&P, Mixed herbs.

• Condiments: Garlic & Red Onions

• Optional: Cheese (I normally add Feta to the Veggie and Cheddar on Meat capsicums. But on this particular occasion I added Truffle Manchego to both. I don’t always have this on hand, just wanted to finish what was left in the fridge!)

Method

Capsicum

1. CUT capsicums in half, width ways. Scoop out some of the middle seeds to make way for the filling.

2. SEASON skins with a bit of oil and S&P.

3. ROAST for 15 mins at 180 deg on grill, hollow bits up. Remove and and cool before adding the below fillings in.

Roast Capsicums first for 15 mins.

Preparing the filling…

Veggie Option: Quinoa and Chickpeas.

Veggie Option

1. SEASON drained chickpeas with olive oil, paprika and mixed herbs. Roast in the oven at 180 deg for 15 mins.

2. FRY garlic and chopped red onions and cherry tomato halves into a pan. Then add in quinoa and boiling water.

3. LIGHTLY FRY a handful of pepitas in a seperate pan with olive oil and paprika.

4. ADD in a handful of chopped up parsley, chickpeas and pepitas to the quinoa.

5. Optional: You can also add in some crumbed feta to the quinoa.

6. FILL three halves of the capsicums and add a bit of parsley on top. In the pictures of this recipe, I added bits of truffle manchego on top.

7. BAKE capsicums for another 10-15 minutes at 180 deg on grill.

Step 7 (Veggies and Meat): After the final bake.

Meat Option

1. FOLLOW Step 2 of the Veggie option, but add in the minced beef.

2. ADD some cumin to taste into the beef.

3. FOLLOW Step 6 & 7 of the Veggie option.

Tips

• Roast the capsicum halves first. This will give you a juicier capsicum after roasting them with the filling.

• Feta cheese works really well with vegetarian options.

• Couscous is a great lighter option instead of quinoa.