Stuffed Peppers with Eggplant

Makes 6 servings

Savory eggplant, fresh herbs, rice and mozzarella tucked into a sweet red pepper, oh my! I grew up eating stuffed peppers as a major part of my diet. The recipes have changed over time but two things have not, red bell peppers and cheese. This recipe was inspired by a sale on bell peppers, an eggplant in my refrigerator and a meatless Friday during Lent. One stuffed pepper and a salad makes a complete meal, especially when combined with a nice glass of dry red wine.

Now when you read through the ingredients you may ask why I would want to add anchovy paste to stuffed peppers? First off, you will never taste the anchovies. They will melt away as you cook the dish. The reason I’ve added them to this dish is to add umami. Umami, popularly referred to as savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. It adds a meaty taste to this dish without the meat and highlights the other flavors in the dish. If you are really freaked out by anchovies you can omit them from the recipe.

Ingredients

6 Red or Yellow Bell Peppers

1 Lg Eggplant (peeled & diced)

1 Large Yellow Onion (diced)

1 TBS Fresh Basil (chopped) *

1 TBS Fresh Parsley (chopped) *

2 TBS Olive Oil

1 TBS Anchovy Paste *

4 Cloves Garlic (minced)

5 Grinds Black Pepper

½ tsp Kosher Salt

8 oz. Can Tomato Sauce

1 C Shredded Mozzarella

½ C Uncooked White Rice

¼ C Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

  

Slice the top ½ inch off of the bell peppers, remove the stems and save. Place the pepper bottoms on a microwave plate and microwave on high for 8 minutes. Drain the water out and put aside for stuffing.

Cook the ½ cup of uncooked white rice according to the package directions.

Cut up the pepper tops and peeled onion into ½ inch dice. Peel the eggplant and cut up into ½ inch cubes. Finely chop the fresh parsley and basil. Mince the garlic.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the diced onions and peppers and cook until the onions are transparent and soft, stirring often. Add the anchovy paste and garlic and stir until the anchovy is no longer visible.  Add the eggplant, fresh herbs, salt and pepper and sauté until the eggplant is cooked (it will change from an opaque white to a translucent tan color- see photo). Add the remaining ingredients (tomato sauce through grated cheese). Cook until it reaches a light simmer (see photo).

Place the stuffing into the microwaved peppers and place the peppers into a baking dish coated with cooking spray and bake for 15minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: Stuffed peppers freeze well. Place them in a sealed container and they are good for up to 2 months.

* PRONTO SUBSTITUTES

Anchovy Paste – Substitute 3 anchovy filets or you can eliminate the anchovy all together.

Parsley & Basil – Substitute 1 teaspoon each of dried parsley and basil for the fresh herbs.

To print a copy of this recipe go to Stuffed Peppers with Eggplant.