Middle Eastern Inspired Stuffed Peppers {Vegan}

For the last couple of months, my husband and I have been on a health kick. Initially, it was my idea to make minor changes to our diets for a healthier lifestyle. Dwight, on the other hand, just assumed it was another one of those things that I would get hyped up about initially, but would go away after my enthusiasm inevitably waned. But this was not one of those things – this new habit seems to have stuck.

Day after day, I have been making these delicious AND healthy dishes like Cauliflower Risotto, Black Bean and Quinoa Tacos, and Savory Steel-Cut Oats to put in front of him.

Over time, he has accepted that it is not a phase and has quietly come to enjoy these meals. While he’s never actually told me this, I think he has even started enjoying them more than the typical American comfort food type of dishes that he grew up eating.

Recently, we watched the documentary Forks over Knives which is about how what we eat has a direct effect on our overall health, and how little changes that we make in our diet can result in a disease-free future. Obviously, this was nothing new to me, but for Dwight, it was an eye opener, and therefore very effective. He had already known about the importance of eating healthy, but seeing the results of studies over years of research and experiments put things in a much clearer perspective for him.

I think by the end, more than anything, it made both of us to realize that it doesn’t take too much to make minor changes in our diet to get big results.

So we decided that we would incorporate more of a plant-based diet with grains and beans into our lives. Instead of using dairy and oils to flavor things, we agreed to use spices, fresh herbs, nuts, and seeds.

Our goal is to do this 80% of the time. I mean, we don’t want to stop eating meat, dairy, or sugar completely, but we do want to make sure that we keep the consumption of these types of foods to a minimum or just save them for celebratory occasions.

I must admit – it has been a work in progress, but overall, we both have been enjoying it. Of course, living on an island with very minimal distractions helps, but it has also been a lot fun for me to get creative with what we have access to.

These Middle Eastern Inspired Stuffed Peppers are a part of our 80% diet. It is a dish that my mother would make during the summers when bell peppers were in abundance back home. It is made with a bulgur filling flavored with lots of onions, cinnamon, all spice, pine nuts, dried currents, and fresh herbs like basil, mint, and dill.

I personally love this dish because (1) it reminds me of back home and (2) I find that the combination of flavors of cinnamon, all spice, pine nuts, and currants mixed with fresh herbs do an amazing job of turning otherwise boring bell peppers into a uniquely delicious summer dish. Not to mention it is filling, healthy, and vegan.

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Middle Eastern Inspired Stuffed Peppers {Vegan}

5 from 2 votes

By: Aysegul Sanford

Yields4 servings

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Recipe for Middle Eastern Inspired Vegan Stuffed Peppers filled with bulgur, fresh herbs, and currants. This is an easy and delicious stuffed pepper recipe you can make all year round.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/4 cup dried currants
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 medium sized onions chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup pine nuts
• ▢ 1-14 ounces can tomato, petite diced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all spice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 cup coarse bulgur, rinsed
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup water, boiling water
• ▢ 3-4 bell peppers, washed, cut in half, and seeded
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (a little more as garnish)
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons basil, chopped

Instructions 

• Place dried currants in a small bowl and pour 1/2 cup of boiling over it. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add onions and pine nuts. Cook, stirring frequently, until they are translucent, 10-12 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, all spice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cook until some of the juices of the tomatoes evaporate, 3-5 minutes.
• Add in the bulgur and stir constantly until it is all mixed in with the vegetables and spices, 4-6 minutes.
• Add the boiling water, turn down the heat to low, and put the lid on. Let it cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, 12-17 minutes.
• Turn the heat off and let it rest (covered) for 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees.
• Cover an ovenproof casserole or Pyrex dish with parchment paper.
• Drain the currants.
• Fluff the now-cooked bulgur with a fork, and gently stir in the currants, dill, mint, and basil.
• Fill each half of the peppers with the filling and place it in the casserole dish.
• Add 2 tablespoons of water at the bottom of the dish.
• Cover it with aluminum foil and place it in the oven.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Then take off the aluminum foil, and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the stuffed peppers turn to light brown.
• When ready to serve, garnish fresh dill.

Notes

• When buying bell peppers, I would recommend picking ones that are similar in size. The filling in this recipe is enough for 4-5 medium size bell peppers.
• My pyrex dish was 8″x11″.
• The reason why we put a couple of tablespoons of water and cover the peppers with foil is to ensure that they won’t dry during the baking process. The steam helps the peppers and the filling stay moist.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 612mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3209IU | Vitamin C: 125mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dish, Vegan

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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