Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

I was so proud of myself last night. I made a meal that I thought tasted awesome, & I made it on my own.

Normally, I use some sort of recipe as a guide, & when I don’t, the meal is either a total bust, or just turns out so-so.

I had been craving stuffed peppers recently & my mom passed along a great slow cooker recipe. However, since my slow cooker was working overtime last week, I decided to give it a rest!

I proudly present…

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Makes enough filling to fill 4 bell peppers (I only made 3; one for me, one for Chris, & one for Chris to take to lunch!)

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers (with the centers cleaned out)
• Rice (I used a quick-cooking mix of brown rice, rye, bulgur, wheat, red quinoa, & wild rice.)
• 1 c. lentils (rinsed & drained)
• Pasta sauce
• Salt & pepper
• Garlic salt
• Oregano

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350*.
• Bring 1 large & 1 small pot of water to a boil.
• In the small pot, cook the lentils according to the package directions (I had to bring mine to a boil, then cook on low for 20-25 minutes).
• In the large pot, boil the peppers for about 5 minutes.

• Pull the peppers from the boiling water & let them cool off.
• Cook your rice (I used the quick-cooking kind which you can microwave for 90 seconds; I’d highly recommend this method!).
• When the lentils are done cooking, mix together with rice, pasta sauce (I used about 1/4-1/2 c.) & spices to taste.
• Fill each pepper, & top with additional sauce.

• Cook for about 20 minutes. Turn the oven to broil, top the peppers with shredded cheese, & cook until the cheese is melted & bubbling!

I served my pepper up with some of the last of the beer bread I made last week. So simple, delicious, & filing.

Last night, I was only able to eat about half of the pepper before I was stuffed. Today, however, I brought the other half for lunch & was starving by the time I got home! What gives?! (I also had a Chobani, & a peanut butter “snack bar,” so it wasn’t like this was the only thing I ate.)

What are your favorite vegetarian recipes?