A lot of times you have leftovers, either from the previous night’s take out or the dinner party you had; and it’s not enough for one meal or you’re too bored to eat the same thing again. In such situations, stuffing bell peppers has always come to my rescue.  Bell peppers are inexpensive, a fun food, and compatible with many other ingredients.  Stuffed bell peppers are a part of many cuisines, as sides, salads or mains, in various forms. I’ve always enjoyed eating stuffed bell peppers and cooking them as they are easy to cook and you can make a stuffing up as you go! You will always find use for bell peppers if you happen to stock them.

• Cooking skills required: Chopping
• Equipment/Utensils Required: Pan/Skillet
• Items needed other than the basic stocked items: None!
• Prep Time: 5 – 10 mins.
• Cooking Time: 10-40 mins (Time varies for stove/oven/microwave) 
• Cost per meal (~2 bell peppers): Not more than $3 (considering you use leftovers/potatoes/mushrooms as stuffing)

Methods

1. Prepare the bell peppers: Remove the stems from the peppers and cut off the tops. You can chop the tops and use them in your stuffing! Remove as many seeds as you can as well as the fibers inside the bell peppers. You could slice the bell peppers in half (like little boats) or leave them as is.

2. Stuffing:

Commonly used stuffing’s:

1. Cheese with some meat (Make sure to cook the meat before you stuff it. If using leftover meat, make sure you don’t overcook it and add the meat to stuffing later in the cooking process)
2. Mashed potatoes with herbs/spices: Mix the herbs and spices (oregano, parsley, chives go well with mashed potatoes) with the mashed potatoes before stuffing it. Add salt, pepper and any other spice you like for taste.
3. Sautéed mushrooms: Sautee mushrooms over a little oil, garlic, black pepper and salt. Most cheeses work really well with this kind of stuffing!
4. Leftover rice with some sauce: You can add leftover rice, with any kind of sauce(soy sauce, tomato sauce, pasta sauce), leftover meat if any, herbs and spices. This stuffing can make the bell peppers really filling without too much effort.
5. Veggies: You can add any veggies sautéed on oil add garlic, or in pasta/tomato sauce topped with lots of cheese.
6. Any leftover curries/gravies/sauces.
7. Quinoa/Couscous

3. Brush the bell peppers with a little oil before you place them in the oven. This will help them crisp a little fast.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 mins. Alternatively, you can place your stuffed bell peppers in the microwave oven for about 6-12 mins (depending on the power and number of bell peppers in the oven). Watch out for the crisping of the skin and take them out accordingly.