Pizza Stuffed Peppers

These peppers were an experiment when I had random items in my fridge that were about to go bad… kale, leftover lentils from a muffin recipe I had made, a bag of peppers that I had forgotten about, etc. I started to throw some ingredients in a pan to make a stuffed pepper filling and it came out tasting like pizza!! I loved it!

If you’re thrown off by lentils, don’t be! They’re simple. I put 1 cup of green or brown lentils in a pot, cover them with water, bring them to a boil, then cover them with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer. They should be tender (but not mush) in about 20-25 minutes. This method gives you about 3 cups of lentils… just shy, really. I use a scant 2 cups for this recipe and 1 cup for any sort of lentil muffins. The Lean Green Bean blog has a TON of lentil muffin baked goods.

I haven’t tried this, but mushrooms, olives, capers - any pizza topping, really - would work mixed into the filling.

Enjoy!

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Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 6

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tablespoon oil
• 6 peppers (tops removed and the bottoms cut slightly so they sit upright without falling) 
• 1 pound turkey sausage (sweet or spicy, casings removed)
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 3 large cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3-4 large handfuls chopped kale
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups cooked lentils 
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 2 quart or 11x7 pan with cooking spray and place peppers inside making sure they sit upright without tipping over.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and start to break it up into pieces with a wooden spoon.  Cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the pan.  Sauté the mixture an additional 4-5 minutes (continuing to break up the sausage) until the sausage is browned and the vegetables are tender.  
5. Add the remaining ingredients except the parmesan cheese (the red wine, chicken stock, kale, tomato paste and lentils).  Stir until the kale is wilted.  Add the parmesan cheese, stirring to combine and then remove the pan from the heat. 
6. Fill each pepper with an even amount of the sausage mixture.  Top each with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese.  
7. Cover the peppers with aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick spray (so the cheese doesn't stick to the foil).
8. Bake 40-50 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted. 

Notes:

For the lentils, place 1 cup of green or brown lentils in a pot, cover them with water, bring them to a boil, then cover them with a lid and reduce the heat to simmer. They should be tender (but not mush) in about 20-25 minutes. This method gives you about 3 cups of lentils… just shy, really. I use a scant 2 cups for this recipe and 1 cup for any sort of lentil muffins. The Lean Green Bean blog has a TON of lentil muffin baked goods.