Happy New Year! The end of the year holiday business, along with launching my brand new Whole, Clean & Green on-line healthy eating challenge has kept me away from the Whole Dish for a bit. It’s great to be back! Speaking of the Whole, Clean & Green Challenge, I was working on a recipe for the meal plans tonight and thought this one would be a great share for the blog. This is perfect for a cold winter weeknight, and if you have leftover filling, it makes a great lettuce wrap or vegan taco for lunch!
(scroll down for interactive, printable recipe card, grocery list and more!)
quinoa, lentil & fennel stuffed pepper
Makes 4 stuffed peppers
2 cups cooked lentils (prepared from dry or canned lentils will do)
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 4 ounces)
1 onion, diced
1 cup diced fennel bulb (about half a bulb)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. dried Italian or Sicilian seasonings, or 2 tbsp. fresh herbs
4 bell peppers, blanched, or not blanched if you like them more al dente, tops cut off and insides cleaned out (reserve the tops)
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried fennel seed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
24-oz. jar of your favorite marinara sauce or fresh tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof Dutch oven or pot over medium low heat. Add the mushrooms, fennel and onions, and cook until onions are soft and mushrooms have browned. Add the garlic and cook for about two to three minutes more. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, add your lentils, quinoa, and mushroom mixture. To that add your herbs, fennel, and half the jar of marinara. Stir and combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In the dish you used to cook the onions and mushrooms, spread the remainder of the marinara or tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish, and add up to 1/4 cup water to thin it out a little. Fill each pepper with the lentil mixture then place into the dish. Top each pepper with a spoonful of marinara. Return the tops to their respective peppers, cover the dish, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot, remove the tops of the peppers and braise a little more sauce over the peppers. Return the pepper tops and cook for about 10-20 more minutes, uncovered, until peppers are cooked through and tender. Remove from the oven, let cool ten minutes then serve over remaining tomato sauce.
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 cups cooked lentils prepared from dry or canned lentils will do
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms about 4 ounces
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup diced fennel bulb about half a bulb
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp. dried Italian or Sicilian seasonings or 2 tbsp. fresh herbs
- 4 bell peppers blanched, or not blanched if you like them more al dente, tops cut off and insides cleaned out (reserve the tops)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried fennel seed
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 24 oz. jar of your favorite marinara sauce or fresh tomato puree
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
|
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Heat the oil in a large oven-proof Dutch oven or pot over medium low heat. Add the mushrooms, fennel and onions, and cook until onions are soft and mushrooms have browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for about two to three minutes more. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, add your lentils, quinoa, and mushroom mixture. To that add your herbs, fennel, and half the jar of marinara. Stir and combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- In the dish you used to cook the onions and mushrooms, spread the remainder of the marinara or tomato sauce on the bottom of the dish, and add up to 1/4 cup water to thin it out a little. Fill each pepper with the lentil mixture then place into the dish. Top each pepper with a spoonful of marinara.
- Return the tops to their respective peppers, cover the dish, and bake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pot, remove the tops of the peppers and braise a little more sauce over the peppers. Return the pepper tops and cook for about 10-20 more minutes, uncovered, until peppers are cooked through and tender.
- Remove from the oven, let cool ten minutes then serve over remaining tomato sauce.