Stuffed peppers are common but with Farfalle Pasta & Vegetables, its a totally new dish on the block.

Stuffed Peppers

My dinner reveries are sometimes made of Stuffed Peppers. I usually dream of filling them with so many combinations of veggies, chicken, rice, any leftovers and like I just did with cheesy pasta. Peppers can actually be baked to make fancy platters in the oven in a jiffy and hassle-free.

What are Peppers?

“Green peppers” that we know are essentially Bell Peppers and they are not very peppery to taste. The abundantly available green are the most common with the red, orange and yellow trying to catch up in the race? Did you know that Capsicum or peppers are actually a fruit and are known as sweet peppers as they do not produce capsaicin, which causes spiciness?

How to pick a good Pepper?

Firstly you need to decide what you’re planning to cook with the Bell Pepper; eat it raw in a salad or cooking it? Flip the pepper and on the underside, you will find the Bell Pepper has three or four points. It is said that the pepper with three bumps is a male while the one with four is female.

The female variety is sweeter than the male and is more suitable for raw recipes but has more seeds. The male pepper has fewer seeds but is slightly bitter in flavour and makes for a better pepper to cook with.

Best Use Of Leftovers

The recipe for Stuffed peppers must have risen from the need to use surplus leftovers. If you have cooked rice or any veggies you can stuff the peppers and top with some cheese and shove it in the oven. Likewise with leftover chicken mixed with salsa or any sauce of your choice.

My Stuffed Peppers

Incidentally, I didn’t have any leftovers and I saw the pasta and vegetables imploring me in the fridge and then I picked them up to use them. There was one red and one yellow pepper. In the end, I stuffed the red pepper with creamy, cheesy pasta infused with flavourful herbs. Just by sautéing the onion, potatoes, cabbage with corn and peas, I had a new stuffing for the yellow pepper. Let your imagination roll and stuff peppers with anything you like.

I was looking for macaroni but didn’t have any in the pantry and so bow tie pasta or, farfalle (the Italian word for butterfly) it was. I am lactose intolerant but was in the mood for a sinful, smooth, silky white aromatic sauce which is ready in minutes.

If you like stuffing stuff like I do …check out the stuffed eggplant mushroom Frankie and Stuffed idly

https://youtu.be/ZBx6QN66GEo

Stuffed Peppers with Farfalle Pasta and Vegetables Recipe

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Indian, Italian

Ingredients

Serves 2
Prep time: 10 minutes; cooking time:20mins
Ingredients
For Red Pepper Stuffing
1 red Bell Pepper
1/2 cup Farfalle Pasta
1 tsp Mixed Italian Herbs
Few Fresh Basil Leaves
2 tbsp Grated Cheddar or Mozzarella Cheese
For the White Sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
salt to taste
For the Yellow Pepper
1 medium potato
1 Onion diced
1 carrot
5 French beans
4 tbsp green peas
4 tbsp sweet corn
4 tbsp cabbage shredded
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 egg
2 tbsp shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese 4 ounces
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the oven to 200 F. For the Red Pepper Season the inside of the pepper with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
Boil the Farfalle in 2 cups of water till done well. Drain, spray a wee bit of oil on it and set aside. In a pan heat the butter and roast the flour nicely till it gives off an aroma. Add the milk and stir to make a thick white sauce. Add the boiled pasta, salt, mixed herbs and mix well. Stuff the red pepper with the cooked pasta and cover generously with the grated cheese. Your Stuffed pepper is ready to go into the oven.
For the yellow Pepper First cook the vegetable filling. Heat the oil in a frying pan over. Add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and cook till done. Boil the beans, carrot, peas and corn in a little water. Add the drained vegetables to the pan and stir fry. Last add the shredded cabbage to make a healthy nutritious stir fry. Finally add the Italian seasoning and salt. Remove from the heat and stuff the Yellow pepper cut in half. I made a ring with the capsicum and on a bed of cooked stir fry vegetables, I broke an egg and baked it with the rest of the Stuffed peppers.
Cover a wire rack with aluminium foil and spray a little oil on it. Place the peppers on it and bake for 15 to 20 mins. Your stuffed peppers are ready. Serve hot with or without sauce, tuck into the creamy goodness.

Notes

If the peppers don’t stand straight then either gently chop off the lopsided part of the bottom or make a bed of foil and let the wobbly pepper stand on it

With a small sharp knife cut a circle around the red bell pepper stem to remove the tops. Remove the seeds, wash and dry the pepper. The pepper tops can be used as lids or chopped and added to the filling.

Prep the yellow peppers by slicing in half and removing the seeds and insides.

If you are preparing for a party, the peppers can be stuffed and refrigerated a day ahead and then baked before serving.

Add 2 tbsp. cream and cheese to the white sauce for a sinfully creamier, satiny smooth sauce.