Stuff a gorgeous striped pepper with classic Caprese ingredients and you have not only the simplest stuffed pepper ever, but an easy yet elegant dinner for two.
I still have one teenager at home, but even so, often his busy high school sports schedule means it is just the two of us for dinner.
Lately, I am obsessed with stuffed peppers for dinner, as an easy way to use up leftovers, get some veggies in, and get a delicious dinner on the table that doesn’t seem like an afterthought. You can spy a couple of striped, red, orange or yellow stuffed peppers in the fridge veggie drawer, and without too much thought, you’ll have dinner emerging from the oven in half an hour.
It’s a bonus for me that stuffing the pepper can make it easy for me to cut some white-bread carbs out of my meal, too. A whole pepper has about 6g total carbs, with 2g dietary fiber, so about 4g net carbs.
So the other day I literally threw together the simplest stuffed pepper recipe, using some mozzarella pearls I picked up on sale, a few grape tomatoes that needed using, and a few leaves of basil off the windowsill plant. It had all the flavors of a Caprese salad in the middle of winter. Caprese means “in the style of Capri,” which is an island off the coast of Italy, so we could easily call this Italian Stuffed Peppers, too.) A classic caprese has fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil leaves and is drizzled with olive oil. I am hungry just writing this!
Let’s make it, shall we?
Cut the peppers in half vertically. Leave the stem on if you like (I think it’s kind of rustically pretty!), and cut away/discard the big ribs and seeds. Tuck a fresh basil leaf into each lobe, so 2 basil leaves for each half pepper.
Tuck in about 8 mozzarella pearls (tiny balls, or chunks if you don’t have balls) into each pepper half.
Cut grape tomatoes in half and lay the halves on top of the mozzarella balls.
Lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on some Italian herb blend. I used Melissa’s Spice Grinder Garlic & Herbs [1], but suit yourself.
There are so many reasons you might need or want to make a small dinner — you’re single, or maybe have a roommate, are a couple or empty nesters, simply have a small family or perhaps even you have a craving for something that no one else wants to eat. We embrace and celebrate all family sizes on Shockingly Delicious, and we honor them with a home-cooked meal.
4-Ingredient Caprese Stuffed Peppers are easy, elegant and utterly delicious. Stuff a gorgeous striped pepper with classic Caprese ingredients and you have not only the simplest stuffed pepper ever, but a fast dinner for two.
Ingredients
- 2 striped, red, orange or yellow bell peppers (I used gorgeous Striped Enjoya Peppers [3] but suit yourself)
- 8 fresh basil leaves
- 32 mozzarella pearls or small chunks (about 3 ounces total)
- 8 grape tomatoes, cut in half vertically
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Italian herb blend
- Garnish: toasted pine nuts, fresh basil sprig, both optional but recommended
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400F degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper or foil and set aside.
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise (split them right down the middle, with half the stem on each side), and scoop out seeds and discard. Trim away any large ribs inside, so there is room for stuffing. You may leave stems on if you like; which is sort of rustically elegant, or remove, your choice.
- Tuck a fresh basil leaf into each lobe, so 2 basil leaves for each half pepper.
- Tuck in about 8 mozzarella pearls (tiny balls, or chunks if you don't have balls) into each pepper half.
- Lay tomato halves on top of the mozzarella balls, 4 tomato halves per half pepper.
- Drizzle sparingly with olive oil and sprinkle on some Italian herb blend. You will want to use a light hand with the oil because as the peppers roast, the mozzarella will melt and ooze some water, as will the tomatoes, so you don't want your pepper halves swimming.
- Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes, so the juices have a chance to cool a bit and won't spill out.
- Serve 2 halves per person. Serve with a crisp green salad, or on a bed of some wilted greens if you like, and add some cut fruit to the plate for a very healthy meal.
- Serves 2.
Notes
Recipe source: Dorothy Reinhold | Shockingly Delicious
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Want more easy stuffed peppers?
3-Ingredient Greek Stuffed Peppers [9]
4-Ingredient Turkey and Stuffing Stuffed Peppers [10]
Picadillo Stuffed Peppers with Chorizo, Lentils, Cauliflower and Mushrooms (vegetarian) [11]
Disclosure: Melissa’s Produce sent the Enjoya peppers and spice grinder for recipe development.