Spiced Pepper Pilafs
This colourful vegetarian dish features peppers stuffed with a fragrant pilaf of basmati rice, red lentils, spinach and mint, all seasoned with cumin and garam masala. It's a superhealthy Indian-inspired meal that can be prepared in advance and frozen in individual portions for convenient future dinners. The total preparation and cooking time is approximately 60 minutes, yielding eight satisfying servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1cm piece ginger finely chopped
- 1 tsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 200g basmati rice
- 850ml vegetable stock
- 140g red lentils washed and drained
- 200g bag spinach leaves, chopped
- handful mint leaves, chopped
- 8 peppers
Method
- Warm the oil in a large lidded saucepan. Cook the chopped onion, crushed garlic and chopped ginger gently for 5 mins until soft. Mix in the tomato purée, ground cumin and garam masala, cooking for 1 min more. Add the rice, stir to combine, then pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, add the washed lentils, cover with the lid and cook for 15 mins until the rice and lentils are tender. Fold through the chopped spinach and mint leaves.
- With a sharp knife, cut the top from each pepper. Remove the central stalk and seeds. Trim the bases slightly so they stand upright without the filling escaping. Spoon the rice mixture into each pepper, replace the lid, then either bake immediately or wrap tightly for freezing.
- If frozen, ensure peppers are fully defrosted. Preheat your oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Arrange the peppers on a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 25-30 mins until the peppers are tender. Accompany with a green salad featuring cucumber, fresh herbs and a spoonful of yogurt.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories209 kcal
Fat2 g
Saturates1 g
Carbs39 g
Sugars8 g
Fibre4 g
Protein8 g
Sodium152 mg
Recipe details
Skill levelEasy
CategoryVegetable
Cuisineindian
DietHealthy, Vegetarian
