Greek Stuffed Peppers

Droolworthy

If you are looking for a flavorful, fun, and healthy recipe look no further. All you really have to do is throw your favorite veggies in a bowl, mix 'em up, fill the peppers, and roast everything. Oh, and as always, don't be stingy with the cheese!

Cook Time: Approx. 1-1.5 Hours

Serves: 4 -5

Tips:

- Add sausage to add something extra to the dish

- If you are looking for some spice, you can add a little harissa to the mixture. It goes perfectly with these flavors

- "Sweat" the eggplant before cooking. Dice and salt the eggplant about 30 minutes to an hour before preparing the rest of the meal. Water should appear on the eggplant and pat the eggplant dry. This helps improve the flavor and texture of eggplant.

- The mixture that you stuff the pepper with is so delicious that it can be eaten on its own if you have leftovers.

- You can add 1/4 cup of broth to the mixture if you feel it is too dry.

Ingredients:

- 4-5 Bell Peppers, Seeded and Halved

- 1/2 of a 14.5 oz Can Chickpeas, Drained

- 1 5 oz bag Spinach, Chopped

- 1 Zucchini, Diced

- 1 Eggplant, Diced

- 1/2 Medium Red Onion, Diced

- 15 Grape Tomatoes, Diced (or 1 Medium Tomatoes, Diced)

- 2/3 Cup Grain (I used Whole Wheat Orzo - Use what you like)

- 5 Tspns Kosher Salt, 3 1/2 for Eggplant & 1 1/2 for Mixture

- 6 Tblspns Feta, 3 for Mixture, 2 for Topping

- 2 Tspns Garlic Powder

- 2 Tspns Paprika

- 2 Tblspns Tahini

- 2 Tblspns Parsley, Chopped for Topping

- 2 Tblspns Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 1 for Spinach & 1 for Mixture

- 1 Tspn Dill, Finely Chopped

- 1 Tspn Ground Black Pepper

- 1/2 Tspn Za'tar

- 1/2 - 3/4 Tspn Lemon Juice

- Non-Stick Spray

Optional:

- Harissa

- 1/2 Tspn Cayenne Pepper

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat in the oven to 400 degrees. Sweat the eggplant with 3 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt per the instructions above.

3. Spray the pan with the non-stick spray. Lay the zucchini and eggplant on a pan. Season the zucchini and eggplant with paprika, za'tar, remaining salt, pepper, and bake for approximately 20 minutes or until slightly soft.

3. While those are cooking, prepare the grain you are going to cook with and place that in a bowl with the red onion, tomato, parsley, garlic powder, chickpeas, dill, lemon juice, tahini, 1 tablespoon of EVOO, and 4 tablespoons of feta.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of the EVOO to  a pan and saute the spinach in a pan. Add the spinach to the bowl.

5. Once the zucchini and eggplant are finished cooking, add those to the bowl too.

6. Mix everything thoroughly! You want to make sure all those flavors are evenly distributed.

7. Spray a pan with non-stick spray and place the pepper halves with the interior side up.

8. Fill the peppers with the mixture carefully. Try not to spill too much into the pan.

9. Bake on the middle rack for approximately 35-45 minutes or until the peppers become soft and get slightly charred.

10. Once the peppers are finished cooking, take them out of the oven and top them with the remaining feta. You can also add any extra herbs or seasonings that you like!

Enjoy with a group!