From Gluten Free Gigi's dairy free, soy free, nut free recipe box:
Add a green salad for the perfect gluten free meal!
With so many other gluten free things to cook, why cook ordinary?!
Sure, stuffed peppers are good. I love them as a comfort food.
Growing up, I remember the crisp sweet Bells dad grew in our garden. Most of those found their way into salads and pasta sauce. A select few – those that were large and “perfect” enough – were reserved for stuffing to overflowing with a mixture of ground beef, rice, and spices.
The peppers were so filling they were served alone.
This week, as I thought about our little Pepper Party, I thought we deserved our own stuffed pepper... A lighter version of what I grew up with. Something not so, maybe, "stuffy"!
As you'll see, I’ve changed the original recipe quite a bit. Dad would say it’s a “loose interpretation” of his traditional stuffed peppers. He might be right...
Whatever the case, these stuffed peppers taste fantastic and are ridiculously simple to make.
In less than one relaxing hour of easy cooking, you’ll have healthy Gluten Free Vegetarian Pasta Stuffed Peppers!
Let’s Get Started!
Gluten Free Vegetarian Pasta Stuffed Peppers
(also soy free & nut free)
Here’s what we’ll need:
Simple ingredients make an extraordinary gluten free meal!
2 large sweet peppers (green, yellow, orange, or red will work)
4 ounces gluten free spaghetti (I used De Boles Corn Pasta)
3/4 cup vegan cheddar shreds (like Daiya)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup coconut (or other plant) milk
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Let’s begin with the peppers. They need to be parboiled before we stuff them to make sure they are completely done in our finished dish.
{Parboiling is when food is partially boiled for a short period of time. It is often used as a way to “pre-cook” foods, like in this recipe.}
To parboil, we'll start with filling a 2-quart pot half full with water and put it over medium heat while we cut the peppers in half...
1. Rinse peppers and wipe them dry.
2. Carefully cut each pepper in half vertically.
3. Remove the seeds and white membrane inside.
Peppers are edible serving dishes in this gluten free meal!
4. Once the water is boiling, carefully add the pepper halves and boil gently, covered, for 5 minutes.
Parboiling peppers insures they will be tender in the finished dish!
5. Remove the peppers from the boiling water, and drain in a colander while we cook the pasta...
Follow package directions for your pasta. Mine took 10 minutes to cook to al dente, which is the doneness we need for this dish.
{al dente is Italian for “to the tooth” and refers to the desired texture for cooking pasta – it should be fully cooked, but remain firm and not soft or mushy.}
3. Once the pasta is done, drain it in a colander until it’s time to mix the filling.
Gluten Free Gigi Tip: Break the pasta strands into fourths before cooking to make picking them up with a fork in the finished dish easier.
Gluten Free pasta can be made from rice, corn, quinoa, or other Gluten Free grains.
Before assembling the peppers for our dish, we’ll need to do two things:
1. Preheat our oven to 375 degrees so it’s nice and warm when it’s time to put the peppers in, and...
2. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish for cooking our peppers.
Just 25 Minutes to a Healthy, Colorful Meal!
With our peppers parboiled and drained, and our pasta cooked and cooling, it’s time to mix the filling for our pepper halves.
1. Place the pepper halves in the prepared baking dish and set aside while mixing the filling...
Parboiled & ready to stuff with our vegetarian pasta filling!
2. Place the drained, cooled pasta in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and Italian herbs. Gently toss to combine.
3. Add lightly beaten eggs, milk, and “cheese” shreds. Stir gently to combine, making sure all the pasta is coated.
4. Stir in the peas.
5. Spoon the mixture into the pepper halves, dividing evenly among the peppers.
Gluten Free Pasta-filled peppers ready for the oven!
6. Bake stuffed peppers, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Take them out of the oven, pair them with your favorite salad and dinner is served!
What a simple and quick gluten free vegetarian dish... Enjoy!
Pair Gluten Free Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with a green salad for the perfect summertime meal!
And, keep this in mind...
YOU can easily make this YOUR signature gluten free stuffed pepper recipe! Simply adjust some seasonings and give it a try. Perhaps a little fresh basil instead of the Italian herbs?
Also experiment with some different veggie add-ins... Diced tomatoes would be great!
Whatever you decide to try for this dish, I know you'll love it!
~g~
Up Next on GlutenFreeGigi.com!
Thursday, as we do every week, I’ll be serving up A Side of Science. Last week, it was vitamin B12. This week I'll be taking a look at and discussing vitamin C!
That brings us to our weekly A Side of Science trivia question:
Which vitamin C-rich “starch” vegetable provides a mere 1/3 of the calories an equal amount of potatoes would provide?
Find out the answer on Thursday!
Thanks for stopping by... Let’s enjoy the rest of this marvelous gluten free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, and sometimes vegan (and even raw foods!) week!
xo,
Gluten Free Gigi
P.S. – In only a few days, on July 21, I’ll be celebrating the 1-year "blogaversary" of GlutenFreeGigi.com! Don't miss your chance to win a $50 gift card and get a secret recipe from me in the U.S. Mail!
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