Stuffed Pepper With Spicy Harissa Quinoa

These stuffed peppers are a quick and easy meal that’s vegan, healthy, filling and delicious! Peppers always remind me of when I was younger, I remember not really liking them and finding them quite boring. But these days I am in love with them, I love the fresh flavour and sweetness that you get when you bite into a fresh pepper. 

They are also low in calories and exceptionally rich in vitamin C and antioxidants such as carotenoids with give them their vibrant colour, making them an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

In this recipe, I roasted my bell peppers in the oven before stuffing them with some spicy harissa quinoa filling to give them an extra kick and intensify their flavour.

INGREDIENTS

4 bell peppers (2 red and 2 yellow)
200g quinoa 
1 tsp harissa paste
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
50g green pitted olives
olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas 5

2. Cut the bell peppers in halve and remove the seeds but leave the stork on to help the peppers remain their shape. Place on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

3. In the meantime wash and cook the quinoa according to the package instruction. It will quadruple in size so make sure you use the correct pan. Drain and set aside.

4. Finely cut the onion and gently fry on a medium heat in some olive oil. After a few minutes add crushed garlic.

5. Next add the chopped tomatoes, harissa paste and halved olives to the pan. Fill the half way with some water and add, let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the quinoa to the sauce. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. If you want your mixture to be a little bit more spicy you can also add another spoon of harissa at this point.

6. Remove the peppers from the oven and carefully fill each half with the filling.

7. Top with some fresh parsley and serve.