Pepper Your Pilaf
Oven-Baked Bell Peppers Stuffed with Spiced Tomato Rice
1 hour
Serves 4
DinnerMiddle Eastern
Herb's take
Channel your inner spice merchant for this Middle Eastern-inspired dinner: sweet bell peppers are filled with a fragrant, tomato-studded rice pilaf, then oven-baked until everything is cozy and aromatic. The real trick is letting the rice absorb all those juices, herbaceous, tangy, and just the right amount of bite.
Ingredients
Yield
4
Instructions
- 01Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- 02Brush the hollowed-out bell peppers with 1 tablespoon olive oil and arrange them upright in the dish.
- 03Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 4 minutes until softened.
- 04Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- 05Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
- 06Add the rinsed rice, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and sugar to the skillet. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring, until the rice turns slightly opaque and fragrant.
- 07Pour in the vegetable broth. Stir well, scraping any stuck bits from the skillet. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 08Cover the skillet and lower the heat. Cook for 8 minutes, just until the rice has absorbed most but not all the liquid. Remove from heat.
- 09Stir in the chopped parsley and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 10Spoon the tomato rice mixture into each hollowed pepper, packing gently but not too tightly.
- 11Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10–12 minutes, until the peppers are tender and lightly browned.
- 12Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Spoon any extra pan juices over the top.
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