Cooks Joy

The garden is overflowing with bell peppers and jalapenos that we planted to make salsa with. The only problem is that the tomatoes are not ripening at the same pace. Added to it, I recently bought a big box of feta cheese that had to be used up. Everything was put together and these beauties were born. Since the stores only carry the gigantic peppers, the small ones from the garden were perfect for this recipe. Potatoes and spinach make a wonderful combo and feta adds a nice salty touch. I normally let the peppers cook fully in the oven and do not parboil them. But, this is not the season where I want the oven to be on and hence I parboiled them for a few minutes. It made a huge world of difference and the peppers were done in no time. My initial plan was to make a rich Indian gravy with cashews and so on, but being pressed for time I went with the simple, but flavorful tomato gravy.

To make it even simpler, I used store bought sauce. The peppers were bursting with flavor from the filling and the sauce and even my kiddo loved it. I say it because he normally claims he does not like peppers. Off to the recipe.

Stuffed Bell Peppers (Potato, Spinach and Feta Filling)

By Vardhini, August 13, 2013

Green bell peppers stuffed with potatoes, spinach and feta in a tangy tomato sauce.

Total Time: 01h 40min
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 01h 20min
Yield: 9 stuffed peppers

Ingredients:

For Peppers
potatoes - 3 cups (mashed - about 6 medium potatoes)
spinach - 2 cups - packed (chopped coarsely)
feta cheese - 1/2 cup
chilly powder - 1 tsp
coriander powder - 2 tsp
cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
turmeric - a pinch
salt - to taste
bell pepper - 9 - small to medium sized ones
For Sauce
olive oil - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp (jeeragam)
onion - 1 cup - chopped
ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
tomato sauce - 2 cups (I used store bought prego sauce. Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc would also work)
chilly powder - 3/4 tsp
salt - to taste
coriander powder - 2 tsp

Instructions:

For Filling
Boil, peel and coarsely mash the potatoes. Mix with the other filling ingredients and keep aside.

Prepare Peppers
Take each bell pepper and remove the top portion. Also remove any membranes and seeds from the inside. Place the cleaned peppers in boiling water for about 7 minutes. Flip once in the middle if the peppers are not fully submerged in water.

Remove the peppers and stuff them with the filling. Place the peppers on a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the skin looks shriveled.

For Sauce
While the peppers are in the oven, prepare the sauce. Heat oil and add cumin seeds. Add onions and ginger-garlic paste. When the onions are cooked, add the tomato sauce, chilly powder, salt and coriander powder. Simmer for 10 minutes and pour over the peppers and serve.

My Notes
1. You can use paneer instead of feta cheese.
2. Follow this link to make ginger-garlic paste.
3. Follow this link to make paneer at home.

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2 years ago: Chinese Fried Rice

Pictorial
1. Boil potatoes, peel and coarsely mash.

2. Take mashed potatoes, spinach, feta cheese, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric.

3. Mix it all together.

4. Take each bell pepper and remove the top portion. Also remove any membranes and seeds from the inside.

5. Bring water to boil in a pan and place the peppers in it.

6. Cover and cook for about 7 - 8 minutes turning once in the middle if the peppers are not fully submerged in water.

7. Stuff the peppers with the filling and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30 - 40 minutes until the skin looks shriveled.