Serves 2 (easily doubled)
Every Christmas we watch a belly load of documentaries about the food we eat and as a result always start the year eating super inspired. This year, my big thing is for 2017 is to try something new (and when I say new, I mean kind of healthy) for 30 days and one of the things I want to try is being vegetarian for one month. Now I’m not vegetarian this month, but I have spent my time developing some new recipes so that when I morph into the 30 day vegetarian, I’ll have a whole host of new recipes in my repertoire.
Now it’s no secret that I love stuffing capsicums. Looking through the archives, I found the Bolognese Stuffed Capsicums, the Rice and Bean Stuffed Capsicums, and the Lentil and Veggie Stuffed Capsicums – looking through that lot, you’d think I’d made stuffing peppers my life’s work!
Anyhoo, I think these capsicums top the lot because… Halloumi! I just can’t get enough of that cheesy deliciousness. Actually, this recipe is super adaptable, because you can swap out the halloumi for whatever cheese you have to hand. I think feta would be fabulous, especially when mixed with a bit of cheddar, because doesn’t everyone love a cheese medley?! If you don’t have mushrooms, use whatever veggies you’ve got left in the fridge. Next time I want to try zucchini… But that’s a dish for another day.
With all the textures and flavours popping in those peppers, this really is a treat to eat. I serve these up with a spinach and rocket combo for a delicious dinner, but they’d make a lovely light lunch or a stunning starter too.
What are you waiting for, let’s get stuffing!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra
2 large red capsicums
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)
50g couscous
100ml hot vegetable stock
125g halloumi, chopped into small cubes
How to
- Preheat oven to 200C / 180C fan-forced.
- Halve the capsicums and scoop out the seeds and white membrane. Place the capsicums cut side up in a baking dish lined with baking paper. Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil, season and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until just tender.
- Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in pan and fry the chopped mushrooms and garlic, if using, for a couple of minutes until softened. Set aside.
- Tip the couscous into a bowl and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave for 5 minutes to soak, then use a fork to fluff it up and then stir through the mushrooms and halloumi.
- Season the couscous mixture and fill the capsicum halves.
- Pop the stuffed capsicums into the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes until the cheese is golden. Serve warm with some green salad leaves.
Other info
Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes
