Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

Vegetables inside of a vegetable–it’s impossible to go wrong.

I saw a recipe for these in the Vegetarian Times (which is worth picking up, even if only to ogle all of the pretty food photos) and realized it had been an awfully long time since I had made myself dinner. Most days it seems too hot to take up the laborious task of cooking, and even then, anything more than a big salad seems like too much effort for one gal’s tiny stomach.

I’m typically turned off by stuffed pepper recipes since they’re stuffed with rice, which I for some reason don’t particularly like. Instead, these crammed a bevy of other vegetables–corn, tomatoes, and zucchini–inside the softened shell of a freshly roasted pepper. I added some of the homemade pesto I recently made for an extra flavor kick, and topped it off with a good serving of fresh parmesan (which I for some reason particularly love.)

It may have taken ages (roasting peppers is not for the impatient), but an hour and a handful of minutes later I was dining on something other than salad. For once!

VEGETABLE STUFFED PEPPERS

2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 ear sweet corn

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 tablespoon pesto

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place corn, still in its husk, in oven and roast for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and raise temperature to 425 degrees.

Cut tops off of peppers and remove seeds. Place face down on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, until well-roasted.

In a saucepan, add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and saute garlic. Add onions and let cook until nearly translucent. Add in chopped zucchini and corn and cook well, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in pesto and spices. Once fully cooked, remove from heat.

Remove peppers from oven and stuff with vegetable mixture. Grate parmesan cheese on top and place in oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove and serve.