Basil-Stuffed Red Pepper Rings
- Yield 4 to 6 servings
Bell peppers lend themselves perfectly to vegetarian stuffings.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup raw basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 -- ribs celery, chopped
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 -- carrot, chopped
- 2 cups soy-based "ground beef" such as Gimme Lean, Boco Ground or Morningstar Farms
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 bunch basil, stems removed, leaves chopped (1/2 cup)
- -- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 -- red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch-thick rings
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add rice, stir, cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add celery, onions and carrots and saute 5 minutes until tender. Place vegetables in a mixing bowl and let cool. Add ground soy, feta cheese, basil, cooked rice and black pepper to mixing bowl; combine well.
- Working on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on a work surface, use a spoon or small ice cream scoop to fill each pepper ring with rice mixture. Use a fork or spatula to pat down and even filling. When all rings are filled, spray a large nonstick saute pan with no-stick cooking spray. Heat pan over medium heat, place pepper rings in pan and saute 5 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove rings to a serving plate.
