I’m a big fan of stuffed peppers. In the Inspiralized cookbook, there’s a stuffed poblano pepper recipe (stuffed with jicama rice and baked with asiago cheese.)
One of the first recipes I mastered when I was vegan, was a quinoa stuffed pepper.
Long story short, today, we have a zucchini noodle stuffed pepper that’s already been a hit, even without posting it on the blog yet.
Let me explain why.
First, my friend Lally texted me a picture of these stuffed peppers. She loved them so much from my Snapchat and Instagram that she attempted it without a recipe.
That makes me so proud – and happy. I’m so glad that people (especially my friends) are as excited about spiralizing as I am!
The next day, my sister texted me and asked for “that stuffed bell pepper recipe from your Instagram.” Unfortunately, I was out and didn’t have access to my computer, so I couldn’t give her the recipe.
Honestly, this recipe is so easy to make and has so many flavors in each bite, it’s going to be a staple this summer.
These peppers work well as a main dish (if you’re vegetarian or looking for something light) or they’re the perfect side dish to a fresh piece of grilled chicken or a quinoa salad.
They serve well, they’re easy to portion out and they’re beautiful and colorful! What more can you ask for?
If you’d like to lower the cheese amount of these peppers, make the pesto vegan by taking out the parmesan cheese! They’ll be just as delicious, especially with that slightly melted, fluffy goat cheese.
They’re simple to make, too. You just mix the pesto, dunk the peppers in, roast the peppers and then stuff in the zucchini noodles and roast for another few minutes until the goat cheese melts:
Easy peasey lemon squeezy.
On a separate note, I’m counting down the minutes until our high-res wedding photos are ready – they should be arriving sometime early-ish this week.
In the meantime, I’ve been looking at the low-res slideshow online, and I already have way too many “favorites.” So many, in fact, that I decided to start a separate Instagram that shows more of my personal life, without spiralizing in it. If you’d like to follow along, I’m at @alissandramaffucci.
What about this one, on the golf course (credit goes to Nadya Furnari)?
Sorry to overload you with wedding photos – I’ll probably stop in a week or so and then just stick to the Thursday #tbt’s to share more of my favorites!
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 9 points
Roasted Red Peppers Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pesto and Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- For the pesto:
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 packed cups of basil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large garlic clove
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the peppers:
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 medium zucchini Blade D, noodles trimmed
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- optional: oil to drizzle
- optional: pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place all of the ingredients for the pesto into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust to your preferences, if necessary. Transfer the pesto to a large mixing bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons of pesto.
- Slice the tops of the bell peppers off and then slice in half from top to bottom. Remove the white stems and seeds from the inside. Dip each pepper into the bowl of pesto to coat and then lay out on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all bell pepper halves are coated in pesto and on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. While the peppers bake, toss the zucchini noodles with the remaining pesto and set aside.
- Remove the peppers, add in the pesto zucchini noodles and cook another 10 minutes. Remove the peppers again, top with crumbled goat cheese to cover the zucchini noodles and bake for 5 minutes or until goat cheese has melted.
- When done, garnish each bell pepper halve with chopped basil and serve for your lucky guests. Optionally, drizzle with olive oil and season with freshly cracked pepper.
comments