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Many of you have been asking for more “meatless meals,” and here is a beautiful one to add to the menu — Mediterranean Orzo and Chickpea Stuffed Bell Peppers!
Quite frankly, the orzo and chickpea salad is delicious enough to eat alone, but to make a more well rounded, veggie-filled dinner, stuffing it in the roasted red bell pepper is a great choice.
Mediterranean Orzo and Chickpea Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffing veggies is always fun, and these stuffed bell peppers are a delight! Aside from just being gorgeous to look at, these peppers are packed with a beautiful array of Mediterranean flavors. I absolutely love this meatless meal!
Ingredients
For the Peppers:
- 4 red bell peppers sliced lengthwise, seeds and white membrane removed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Dressing:
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
For the Filling:
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 3/4 cup Castelvetrano olives, halved lengthwise
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped oregano
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley plus more for serving
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for topping
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp lightly crumbled saffron threads
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, optional for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Place bell pepper halves in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake until peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, saffron threads, turmeric and Dijon mustard. Stir to combine. Set aside, allowing the flavors to meld and the saffron time to bloom; about 5 to 7 minutes.
- While your saffron is blooming, cook the orzo. When the water reaches a boil, add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain and add to the bowl with the dressing. Add the olives, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, shallot, oregano, parsley, cayenne and feta. Toss until well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Evenly distribute the orzo mixture into each of the bell peppers; you may have leftover filling depending on the size or your peppers. Top with extra feta if desired and pine nuts. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes until the feta is golden brown. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, serve and enjoy!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do you think this would be good to make ahead? making for a vegetarian friend who is about to have a baby. Want her to be able to heat up when she is ready for the meal.
So delicious!! I added some shredded rotisserie chicken to up the protein for my boyfriend. Cooked everything in my air fryer to avoid heating up the kitchen with the oven. I had a lot of leftover stuffing which will make a great pasta salad for lunch tomorrow! Definitely a repeat
A friend made this for dinner twice now and I just can’t get enough! Absolutely delicious and a good meatless option. Look forward to making on my own soon.
This was excellent. I loved the tang of the lemon, the punch of the garlic, and the unexpected heat from the cayenne. So, so good, and full of veggies. What more can you ask for??? Thank you so much!
These are soooooo good!!! I couldn’t find orzo anywhere 🙁 so I used a 7 grain rice/lentil packet and they were still amazing. So many good flavors and such a great dinner option. My husband always thinks he needs to have meat at every meal, and I don’t think he realized these were meatless.
These were delicious! Made them for dinner and leftover filling for lunch!
Very good! Didn’t have exact ingredients tonight, but substituted and made it work. Everyone loved and I will definitely make again!
I just made this for dinner, and it’s possibly the best thing I’ve eaten in my life. When I bit into the cherry tomato, I could’ve stopped then and there, and been completely content with how delicious it was. Even though it looks like a ton of ingredients, it all comes together quickly. And that pop of cayenne is perfect. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe and I can’t wait to have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thank you, thank you! 2020 just got a little brighter.
Wow thank you so much, Frances!! I feel like the orzo salad alone is such a great make ahead lunch item to keep in the fridge. Thank you for the kind comment! xo