Stuffed Peppers: A Conservation Powerhouse

One of the most awesome things about having kids is the amount of time and money wasted on food and meals. Man, oh man does that make my day, my week, my year! Apparently, I love it so much that I rarely learn my lesson. But occasionally, the food Gods will smile down upon me and inspire me to turn my children’s waste into something magical.

Case in point: About a week ago my daughter told me she wanted a bowl of “the pasta that looks like rice” (i.e., orzo) with some of my “famous” (my daughter’s words, not mine) crockpot sauce and lots and lots of Parmesan cheese. So, of course, I made a decent-sized batch and served it up. She ate a teeny, tiny, baby portion (this from a girl whose middle name is pasta) and then refused to eat any more, that day or the next day or the next day after that. Which is why on Sunday there was still a full container of lightly sauced, slightly dry orzo sitting in the back of my fridge. Awesome.

Now, wasted food has become one of my biggest pet peeves since becoming a momma, but it has taken on even greater significance (and annoyance!) since quarantine and my concerted efforts to conserve our supplies (yes, I’m still doing this even today). I just could not bring myself to throw that pasta away. Instead, I began foraging through my fridge to see how I could reuse it. I do this a lot because I am a HUGE fan of leftovers and I love repurposing ingredients. It’s a great way to create new dishes on the fly, something I rarely have time for these days given the daily grind of parenting. More often than not I end up cycling through the same meals week after week because they’re simple, fast, and (thankfully) delicious. But that can get boring and monotonous pretty quick, which is why these little bursts of unexpected lusciousness are so appreciated. Oh, how I long for the days when I was able to (consistently) be bold and daring in the kitchen. Fingers crossed I get back there one day.

Anyways, my fridge search turned up three on-the-verge-of-shriveling bell peppers that I knew would make the perfect vessel for the orzo concoction I was already crafting in my mind. It was one of those days where I just didn’t feel like searching around the Internet for a recipe; I simply threw together ingredients that I love and had on hand—and let me tell you, my daughter’s wasted orzo turned out to be a little blessing in disguise because my stuffed peppers were scrumdiddlyumptious!! I served them alongside grilled salmon and green beans sauteed with tomatoes and garlic (full disclosure: My husband made the green beans the day before—see what I mean about leftovers?!). While not our typical Sunday dinner, it was lovely, if I do say so myself! And my husband enjoyed them, too, so win-win! He always calls me a “chef” and I laugh every time because nothing could be further from the truth. I fail a lot when I don’t follow a recipe (and even when I do for that matter, LOL!), but this time was a success. And since I haven’t shared a recipe in a while, I thought this would be a good one because it’s simple and versatile and can be used as a main or a side dish.

Italian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

3 bell peppers (any colors you want), tops cut off and seeds removed
2 tbsp EVOO
1 onion, chopped
1 small handful of chopped bacon
2-3 small tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed
1/2 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup Tuscan-rubbed fontina cheese (we had this bad boy left over from our Josh Groban date night last week—it was the perfect accompaniment to my Italian-inspired orzo peppers!)
2 cups cooked orzo
2-3 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil and parboil the peppers for about 5-7 minutes (my peppers were starting to wilt in the fridge so they didn’t require as much time here as crisp, fresh peppers would); remove and set aside.

2) Heat EVOO in a medium-sized skillet and sauté the onions and bacon until the onion is translucent (make sure the bacon cooks down a bit too; it tastes better when it’s crispy).

3) Add the chopped tomatoes and frozen peas and simmer for approximately 2-3 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

4) Remove from heat and add it to the cooked orzo; stir in the fontina, salt, and pepper.

5) Cut each bell pepper in half and layer them in an 8×8-inch baking dish; fill each half with the orzo mixture and bake them—covered with aluminum foil—at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

6) Remove the baked peppers from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese, and place them under the broiler for about 5 minutes—just until the cheese melts and turns a lovely golden brown.

7) Serve warm as-is or slathered in homemade tomato sauce (I had some of my “famous” sauce left over so we used that—delish!!!).

And there you have it—a quick, easy, delightful recipe in the books and my conservation efforts fully intact! 😊 Plus, they taste even better the second time around. We had them again last night as the main dish alongside leftover meatballs and sausage and roasted asparagus. If you think about it, bell peppers are a great way to repurpose all sorts of leftover ingredients taking up space in your fridge: pastas, rice, quinoa, ground beef/turkey/chicken, any and all roasted veggies (spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, kale, asparagus, you name it). And depending on the ingredients and seasonings you add, you can use this recipe for any type of cuisine and pair them with all sorts of other foods. So, give this dish a shot the next time your child puts your conservation efforts to the test—I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!

Buon appetito!