Lentil Stuffed Peppers

...I'm not sure I ever had beef stuffed peppers before I turned vegetarian, so this is basically just a hippie vegetarian approximation of the thirty or so stuffed pepper recipes I read today.

 

In a medium sauce pan, place:

 

2 Tbsp blackeye peas

1 c. minus 2 Tbsp brown lentils

3 cups water

1 Knorr vegetable bouillon cube

 

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Lentils and cow peas should be tender but not mushy. Set aside.

 

Cut the three green peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. Place them in a large casserole dish and bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes while you prepare the filling.

 

In a large frying pan, place 1 Tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter. Sautée:

 

1/2 large white onion, diced

5 button mushrooms, diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

 

Add the lentils. Stir in:

 

1/2 a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tsp. basil, dried

1/2 tsp. oregano, dried

 

Add salt and pepper generously to taste. Turn off the heat.

 

Remove the peppers from the oven and fill with the lentil-tomato-mushroom mixture. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the filled peppers.

 

Pour about 3/4 c. liquid into the bottom of the casserole. I used some leftover garlic-tomato soup I had in the fridge, but you could use water, broth, or make a quick sofrito with the remaining half can of tomatoes.

 

For a quick sofrito, in a small sauce pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Add:

 

2 sliced garlic cloves

 

Sautée briefly. Add:

 

the rest of the can of diced tomatoes from the filling, pureed if you'd like

1/4 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat, thin with water if needed, then pour into the bottom of the casserole.

 

When the peppers are very soft and the filling is hot, top with grated cheese. I used a mixture of Swiss and havarti, because that's what I had on hand. Return the casserole to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is sufficiently melted.

 

Shot with VSCOcam, processed with Aviary.

Done