Stuffed peppers are one of those easy-to-make meals that seem so fancy. If you have 40 minutes and just a handful of ingredients you can make this tasty dish happen!
These peppers prove the versatility of lentils. If this budget-friendly legume isn’t already a stable in your kitchen, here’s a few reasons you should always keep them on hand:
– Super filling
– Slow down sugar absorbtion
– Full of prebiotics which keep your gut healthy
– Cook very quickly and don’t need to be presoaked
– Less gassy than most beans
Lentils fall in the legume category and legumes are associated with a ton of health benefits. Eating more legumes is connected to:
– A slimmer waistline
– Lower blood pressure
– Improved blood sugar and insulin control
– Better cholesterol levels
– Lower risk of some types of cancer
With all of these benefits, it’s not surprising that Dr. Greger recommends 3 servings of legumes every day (1 serving = 1/2 cup cooked legumes).
These beautiful peppers can be served on their own, over a bed of leafy greens or over a cooked whole grain (brown rice, barley, millet, quinoa). I used brown lentils but green or French lentils will work as well. Red, yellow and orange lentils are fantastic but they tend to be too mushy for this dish.
Looking for more lentil-based meals? Check out:Lentil Amaze-Balls and Squash and Lentil Curry.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
- 2 bell peppers, cut in half and seeds cleaned out
- 1 20 oz canned pineapple chunks (packed in juice) or 2 cups fresh chopped pineapple
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups leafy greens, chopped (kale, spinach, collards, rainbow chard)
- 3 T tamari or soy sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place pepper halves, face up, on a foil-lined 9x9 baking pan. Place, un-stuffed, in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
- If using canned pineapple, drain juice into a medium pot.
- Add rinsed lentils and 1 and 1/3 cup of water to the pot continuing pineapple juice and place over medium-high heat. If using fresh pineapple, increase water to 2 cups. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Add pineapple chunks, chopped tomatoes, greens, tamari, garlic and red pepper to lentils. Stir to combine. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, until greens begin to wilt.
- Remove peppers from oven and generously stuff with lentil mixture.
- Return to oven and bake for 10 additional minutes. Serve warm.
