Greek Stuffed Peppers

by Kensie Kimball

Ingredients

  • 8 large bell peppers
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 (14-ounce) can reduce sodium chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14/5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
  • ¾ cup cooked quinoa
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley plus
  • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese divided

Instructions

  • Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour a little bit of water into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, or a similar casserole dish that is large enough to hold the peppers with them standing up.
  • Prepare the peppers: Cut the top s off of the bell peppers (cut as close to the top as possible to allow max space for stuffing). With your fingers, carefully remove and discard the ribs and seeds, leaving the walls of the peppers intact. Stand them up in the baking dish side by side so that they do not fall over.
  • Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, salt, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until the beef is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. If at any point the meat begins to stick to the pan or looks very dry (this will vary based on the fat content of your meat), drizzle in a bit of olive oil as needed.
  • Stir in the chickpeas and diced tomatoes and their juices. Let simmer for 1 minute.
  • Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the quinoa, parsley, and 2/3 cup feta. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. If the filling seems overly dry, splash in a few tablespoons of water.
  • With a small spoon, mound the filling inside the peppers, pressing It down lightly with your fingers as needed so you can use it all (the peppers will be very full).
  • Cover the pan with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup feta.
  • Return them to the oven to bake until the feta is slightly browned and the peppers are fork tender about 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
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