Summer Stuffed Peppers

Tonight, as soon as Jeff got home, we rushed to our Wednesday afternoon Farmers' Market, making it just in time. We hoped to gain some inspiration for dinner, especially as Jeff had some work to do in the backyard, so most of the prep would be on me for the evening. Just wandering past the colorful displays of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and breads immediately sparked our memory of a favorite summer dish: Stuffed Peppers. And we were off!

Now, I'm a bad food blogger and didn't remember to take any pictures until the last second, so I can't show you the bountiful tables at the Farmers' Market, the many dishes percolating on the stove as I prepared the filler, or the state of the counter when I was finished (there are a lot of things to chop!). But I can walk you through this delicious recipe (that can be either vegetarian or carnivorous) and then show you the final product!

Note: this version of the recipe will serve 4-5 people (if each person gets 2 peppers). Alternately, you can just make enough peppers for how many people you're serving and freeze the remaining filler to have for another meal. (If you do that, you might not want to add the cheese to the filler you're freezing.)

Ingredients:

Keep in mind: these are your summer stuffed peppers, so feel free to substitute whatever is freshest or yummiest to you in the moment! For example, in the past, I've used eggplant in place of zucchini/squash, fresh herbs in place of dried ones, and goat cheese in place of feta.

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 c vegetable or chicken broth (or as required by couscous package)
1 c couscous
8-10 medium bell peppers
1 small onion (diced finely)
1 small yellow squash (usually about 1-1 1/2 c, diced finely)
1 large tomato (usually about 1 c, diced finely)
Oregano, basil, salt, and pepper to taste (usually about 1 tsp each)
1 1/2 c feta cheese (crumbled)
Vegetarian: 15 oz can chickpeas
Carnivorous: 1 lb ground beef

Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Follow directions on couscous package to cook couscous. (Usually, this means bringing the broth to a boil, then adding the couscous. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and cover it. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.)

3) Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

4) Prepare the peppers by cutting the stems out to make each one into a "cup." (Make sure you leave yourself enough of an opening to stuff them!) Scoop out all seeds and membranes, then drop them into the boiling water for approximately 5 minutes to soften them. Once softened, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water and let them drain on a plate, open side down.
5) Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion and squash (with a bit of salt and pepper) until soft.
6) In a large bowl, combine the couscous, onion, squash, tomatoes, herbs (to taste) and chickpeas (if making the vegetarian version).
7) Carnivorous version: Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large skillet. Cook the ground beef until brown. Once fully cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and add to the couscous and vegetable mixture.
8) Into the couscous mixture, stir in 1 c of crumbled feta.
9) Arrange the peppers in small baking dishes, cut sides up (like little cups). Fill them with the couscous mixture and sprinkle remaining 1/2 c crumbled feta on the top.
10) Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Now, as promised, here are a couple of pictures of the peppers I made tonight! First, here's the totality of what I made, before heading into the oven. (You can see that I just made 4 peppers for Jeff and me, and I'm freezing the rest of the filler in two smaller containers for another night.)

Now, here's a close-up! Since Jeff's had a busy day, I put a little extra filler around the outside of his peppers, just to give him a bit more to fill his tummy.

And here they are, freshly out of the oven and ready to enjoy!

It's a delicious summer meal, and, though it does take a bit of time to prepare, it's easy to make it last for more than one night. It's also a great meal for company, as you can do all the prep work ahead of time and just pop them in when you're ready. And, since you're serving the final dish in exactly what you baked it in, you can pre-clean your whole kitchen. Voila, you fabulous hostess, you!