Vegetable Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers are great as a lunch, starter or as a delicious side dish to chicken or fish. Ready in just 30 minutes, they are easy to put together and can be made in advance. Vegan option below.
This is one of those recipes that is super simple but looks impressive. The saltiness of the feta cheese goes so well with the vegetable couscous and contrasts with the sweetness of the peppers.
If you're looking for some side dishes to serve these feta stuffed peppers with, how about easy Bean Burgers, Pan-Fried Plaice, or as a side to Roasted Red Pepper Soup.
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Ingredients
This is a budget-friendly recipe with just a few key ingredients. Feta cheese originates from Greece and these ingredients are typical of a greek summer or Mediterranean recipe.
- Peppers - Use red, yellow, or orange peppers for this recipe as they have a nice sweet flavour. Green peppers have a more bitter taste and I wouldn't recommend those.
- Couscous - I've used the smaller couscous rather than the giant couscous as it's easier to stuff the peppers with.
- Feta Cheese - is a traditional greek cheese with a strong tangy salty flavour. It's traditionally made from the milk of sheep or goats.
- Vegetables - red onion goes well with feta cheese and mint. Courgette (zucchini) is delicious fried and has a softer texture.
See recipe card for quanties
Step by Step Instructions for Greek Stuffed Peppers
Roasted red peppers stuffed with couscous are so easy to make. If you want to skip boiling the peppers first, just stuff them raw and increase the baking time to around 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Place the peppers in a pan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, then remove and drain. This helps speed up the cooking time and means they don't need as long to bake in the oven.
Put the couscous in a bowl, add the hot vegetable stock, cover with a plate or a tight-fitting lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the courgette (zucchini) and onion over a medium heat until soft.
Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Stir in the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, courgettes, onions, feta cheese, and most of the chopped mint.
Place the pepper halves on a baking tray, spoon in the couscous mixture, and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Hint: Chop the vegetables up small so you get a good variety in each pepper half. Couscous will keep in the fridge for 3 days, meaning you can make some in advance or use up any leftovers with a salad or as a side. Serve it with meatballs for a quick dinner.
Substitutions
- Couscous - Couscous works well for stuffing peppers as it's very easy to flavour but you could also use rice or cooked lentils.
- Feta Cheese - you can substitute halloumi cheese which also has a strong salty flavour and cooks well or even a soft goat's cheese.
- Vegetables - as well as courgette (zucchini) and red onion, you could also use aubergine (eggplant) or spring onions (green onions).
- Herbs - I've used fresh mint as it goes well with the feta cheese. You could also use fresh basil. Dried herbs won't work in this recipe as you need fresh flavours.
Vegan Feta Stuffed Peppers with Couscous
It's very easy to make these greek stuffed bell peppers suitable for a vegan diet. Just substitute the Feta Cheese for a Feta Style nondairy cheese alternative, which is widely available. Alternatively, you can find a great recipe for making your own Vegan Feta Cheese at A Virtual Vegan.
How to Serve
As a main I would serve two whole bell peppers per person, so four pepper halves. For a side dish, just one or two pepper halves will be enough. Feta stuffed peppers go well with a nice green salad, some black or green olives, and fresh tomatoes. As a side, they are a great accompaniment to chicken or fish. Serve with some fresh mint and extra crumbled feta cheese sprinkled over the top.
Sustainability
Eating vegetables in season from local sources can help to reduce our carbon footprint as well as support local farmers. Try to buy vegetables lose without any packaging if possible. Building in some meat-free days to our weekly diet is also a good way to keep our carbon footprint low. For more information on how this can help, visit my Eating Sustainably page.
Storage
You can make these baked peppers in advance and eat them hot or cold. Couscous stores well and can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Use it up for lunch, with a BBQ, or as a side. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
How to store Feta Cheese
Chances are you will have some feta cheese leftover from this recipe. To help keep your feta fresher for longer, store it in an airtight container, cover with salted water, or brine, and keep in the refrigerator. This makes sure the cheese doesn't dry out and it should last for around 3 weeks.
📖 Recipe
Vegetable Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 8 red peppers organic, halved, cored, seeds removed
- 250 g couscous organic, fairtrade
- 400 ml vegetable stock organic
- 2 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 2 courgettes organic, diced into 1cm cubes
- 2 red onions organic, diced into 1cm cubes
- 1 lemons organic, fairtrade, juice of
- 200 g feta cheese organic, cut 1cm cubes
- 10 g fresh mint organic, leaves chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4
- Place the peppers in a pan of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, then remove and drain.8 red peppers
- Put the couscous in a bowl, add the hot vegetable stock, cover with a plate or a tight fitting lid and leave to stand for 5 minutes.250 g couscous, 400 ml vegetable stock
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry the courgette and onion until soft.2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 courgettes, 2 red onions
- Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Add the lemon juice, 1 tablespoons of olive oil, courgettes, onions, feta cheese and most of the chopped mint.1 lemons, 200 g feta cheese, 10 g fresh mint
- Place the pepper halves on a baking tray, spoon in the couscous mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the remaining mint and serve with a green salad and the remaining couscous
Notes
Ingredients
- Peppers - Use red, yellow, or orange peppers for this recipe as they have a nice sweet flavour. Green peppers have a more bitter taste and I wouldn't recommend those.
- Couscous - I've used the smaller couscous rather than the giant couscous as it's easier to stuff the peppers with.
- Feta Cheese - traditional greek cheese with a strong tangy salty flavour. It's traditionally made from the milk of sheep or goats.
- Vegetables - red onion goes well with feta cheese and mint and courgette (zucchini) is delicious fried.
Substitutions
- Couscous - Couscous works well for stuffing peppers as it's very easy to flavour but you could also use rice or cooked lentils.
- Feta Cheese - you can substitute halloumi cheese which also has a strong salty flavour and cooks well or even a soft goat's cheese.
- Vegetables - as well as courgette (zucchini) and red onion, you could also use aubergine (eggplant) or spring onions (green onions).
- Herbs - I've used fresh mint as it goes well with the feta cheese. You could also use fresh basil. Dried herbs won't work in this recipe as you need fresh flavours.
Storage
Couscous along with the peppers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can make these stuffed peppers in advance. Couscous can also be frozen for up to 3 months.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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