Best 6 Healthy Vegetable And Couscous Stuffed Peppers Recipes

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Looking for a wholesome and delicious vegetarian dish that's perfect for a healthy meal? Our healthy vegetable and couscous-stuffed peppers are the answer. These colorful bell peppers are packed with a flavorful blend of vegetables, herbs, and fluffy couscous, creating a satisfying and nutritious meal. Each pepper is a perfect balance of flavors and textures, with a tender bell pepper exterior and a savory, hearty filling.

This recipe offers two variations: a classic stuffed pepper option and a lighter, open-faced stuffed pepper style. Whether you prefer traditional stuffed peppers or a more modern presentation, we've got you covered. Explore these recipes to discover a new favorite vegetarian dish that's not only delicious but also good for you.

Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!

COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS WITH BASIL SAUCE



Couscous-Stuffed Peppers with Basil Sauce image

Provided by Giada De Laurentiis

Categories     side-dish

Time 1h15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 22

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 cup couscous
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup dried currants
1 packed cup chopped baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red bell peppers
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 medium orange bell pepper
Hot water, as needed
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) creme fraiche
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus extra, as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra, as needed

Steps:

  • Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and cumin to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the beans, currants, spinach, feta and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.
  • Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cooks
  • Sauce: In a blender, combine the basil, creme fraiche, olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the peppers and serve.

MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS STUFFED PEPPERS



Mediterranean Couscous Stuffed Peppers image

Mediterranean stuffed peppers with couscous are easy to make, healthy, and packed with fresh Greek flavors.

Provided by Ann Otis

Categories     Main Dish

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 16

4 bell peppers (seeded and halved lengthwise)
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion (chopped)
2 large cloves garlic (minced)
1 small zucchini (diced)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 14- oz can black-eyed peas
2 cups chopped plum tomatoes (about 3-4 tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped and loosely packed)
1 cup crumbled feta
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice and olive oil for drizzling

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with olive oil.
  • Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise (from top to bottom). Remove the stems and seeds and place them cut-side up in the baking dish.
  • Bring the broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous, salt, and turmeric. Cover with a lid and set aside for 10 minutes or until the water is fully absorbed. Remove the lid to cool.
  • Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, and oregano and cook an additional 3-4 minutes., until softened and fragrant.
  • Stir in the black-eyed peas and tomatoes and cook another 2-3 minutes.
  • Fold in the couscous, feta and basil. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Fill the pepper halves with the couscous mixture and cover the baking dish tightly with foil.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the peppers are tender and the filling is golden.
  • Sprinkle with extra feta and fresh basil before serving if desired.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 454 kcal, Carbohydrate 65 g, Protein 21 g, Fat 13 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Cholesterol 33 mg, Sodium 763 mg, Fiber 14 g, Sugar 15 g, ServingSize 1 serving

COUSCOUS AND FETA STUFFED PEPPERS



Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers image

Categories     Cheese     Pepper     Vegetable     Bake     Low Fat     Stuffing/Dressing     Feta     Bell Pepper     Fall     Healthy     Couscous     Self

Yield Makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 1/4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup couscous
4 large bell peppers, mixed colors
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
6 oz zucchini, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
6 oz yellow squash, quartered lengthwise then sliced across thinly
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
15 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 oz crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup)

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F F. Coat a small baking dish with cooking spray. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan, add the couscous, cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the stems and top half inch off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Boil trimmed peppers for 5 minutes, then drain them upside down. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and chickpeas. Using a fork, scrape the couscous into the skillet and toss with the vegetables. Stir in the crumbled feta. Place peppers upright in the baking dish and fill them with couscous. Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED PEPPERS



Mediterranean stuffed peppers image

Serve these vibrant stuffed peppers to veggie dinner party guests, then keep any leftovers for lunch the next day

Provided by Good Food team

Categories     Dinner, Main course

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 large red and 1 large yellow pepper, halved and deseeded (leave stalks on)
85g couscous
25g pine nuts, toasted
handful black olives, roughly chopped
50g feta cheese, crumbled
50g semi-dried tomato snipped, or handful cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp shredded basil

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Pop the peppers on a plate and microwave on Medium for 5 mins, until almost soft. Place on a baking tray, cut-side up.
  • Meanwhile, place the couscous in a bowl and cover with 125ml boiling water. Stir, cover the bowl and leave to stand for 10 mins. Stir the couscous with a fork to break it up, then mix in the pine nuts, olives, feta, tomatoes and basil. Pile the couscous stuffing into the pepper halves and bake for 10 mins.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 321 calories, Fat 15 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 37 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 13 grams sugar, Fiber 4 grams fiber, Protein 11 grams protein, Sodium 1.4 milligram of sodium

COUSCOUS-STUFFED PEPPERS



Couscous-Stuffed Peppers image

I created this recipe when I was living in France, where they use a lot of couscous. Since I love peppers I started experimenting with different combinations and found that there really is no bad combination. You can use any vegetables and even throw in some cooked meat, if you have some that needs to be used up.

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 cup couscous
1 cup water
1 onion
6 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 carrot
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper
4 red or green peppers

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and stir in the couscous. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
  • Peel the onion and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the ends of the stems off the mushrooms and thinly slice. Peel the carrot and cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
  • Generously coat a sauté pan with cooking spray and add the onion, mushrooms, and carrot. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Remove from the heat, add the couscous and peas, and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove and discard the seeds. Place the peppers in a baking pan, trimming the bottoms, if necessary, to make them stand up. Fill the peppers with the couscous mixture and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the peppers are soft. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
  • At first glance mushrooms seem rather insignificant nutritionally. In fact, the only numbers on the nutrition labels that aren't zeros are 20 calories and 3 grams of carbs. But, if you dig a little further you will find that they are actually an excellent source of selenium, a mineral that works closely with vitamin E to produce antioxidants that can decrease the risk of cancer and other diseases of aging. They also contain a significant amount of potassium, which helps maintain normal heart rhythm, fluid balance, muscle, and nerve function. And all this time I just thought they tasted good.

STUFFED YELLOW PEPPERS WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS AND PESTO



Stuffed Yellow Peppers With Israeli Couscous and Pesto image

The large spherical couscous that we know as Israeli couscous actually has its origins in North Africa, where it is called muhamma. In Middle Eastern markets, you may find it labeled maghribiyya.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories     dinner, weekday, main course

Time 1h15m

Yield Serves six

Number Of Ingredients 10

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous
Salt to taste
1 large garlic clove (more to taste)
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
3 large yellow peppers, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
2 cups tomato purée or homemade tomato sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Steps:

  • Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous. Stir until the couscous begins to color and smell toasty. Add 2 cups water and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until the couscous is tender. Drain.
  • Turn on a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Drop in the garlic. When it is chopped and adhering to the sides of the blender jar or food processor bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the basil leaves and salt to taste. Turn on the machine, and add the remaining olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the cheese, and blend until incorporated.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a lidded casserole large enough to accommodate all of the peppers. Combine the couscous and pesto. Stir together. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Fill the halved peppers with this mixture, and arrange in the casserole. Pour the tomato sauce or purée into the dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes to an hour until the peppers are soft but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat, and serve hot or at room temperature, with some of the tomato sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with basil leaves.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 281, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 35 grams, Fat 13 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 8 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 521 milligrams, Sugar 4 grams

Tips:

  • Use a variety of colorful bell peppers for a visually appealing dish.
  • Choose fresh, firm vegetables for the best flavor and texture.
  • Cook the couscous according to the package directions.
  • Don't overcook the vegetables; they should still have a bit of a crunch.
  • Season the couscous and vegetable mixture generously with herbs and spices.
  • Stuff the peppers tightly with the couscous mixture.
  • Bake the peppers until they are tender and the filling is heated through.
  • Serve the peppers warm or at room temperature.

Conclusion:

This healthy and delicious recipe is a great way to enjoy a variety of vegetables. The couscous stuffing is hearty and flavorful, and the bell peppers add a pop of color and sweetness. This dish is perfect for a weeknight meal or a special occasion. Serve it as a main course or a side dish. Enjoy!

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