Recipes

Tuscan Beef-Stuffed Peppers

with Pearled Couscous & Melted Mozz

Serves 2 · 35 minutes

beef, weeknight

Ingredients

Also: vegetable oil, butter, kosher salt, black pepper

Steps

  1. Roast bell peppers

    • Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Halve bell peppers lengthwise; remove stems and seeds. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle each half with oil; rub to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and softened, 18-20 minutes.

  2. Cook couscous & prep

    • Meanwhile, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add couscous and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water (1 1/2 cups for 4). Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until couscous is tender, 6-8 minutes. Keep covered off heat. While couscous cooks, halve, peel, and dice onion. Finely dice tomato.

  3. Start filling

    • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add beef and Tuscan Heat Spice; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. TIP: If there's excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.

  4. Finish filling

    • Stir tomato paste and diced tomato into pan with beef mixture until thoroughly combined. Add stock concentrate and 1/3 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in couscous until thoroughly combined. Turn off heat.

  5. Stuff bell peppers

    • Once bell peppers are done, remove from oven and stuff each half with as much filling as will fit. Place in pan with remaining filling, nestling each stuffed pepper half into mixture. (TIP: If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer mixture to a small baking dish and arrange stuffed pepper halves in there.) Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella.

  6. Finish & serve

    • Bake stuffed peppers on middle rack until cheese has melted, 3-4 minutes. Divide remaining filling between plates. Top with stuffed peppers and serve.