Stuffed Bell Peppers with tomato and garlic sauce

Although I went out to buy the ingredients for this recipe I soon realised that I had all of them at home already

I've always been a fan of stuffed peppers and I've helped my mum make them in a variety of different ways when I was younger. When looking for a recipe for this week's 'Fruity Friday' I thought that I would come up with my own based on my mum's old recipes. This recipe is cheap and easy to make. It can be vegan, vegetarian or as meaty as you want. Overall, it's a great recipe for using up any leftover veg you might have going to waste at the bottom of your fridge as any vegetables can be used. The possibilities are endless!

Stuffed peppers with tomato and garlic sauce

Ingredients (For 2-3 servings)

• 4 bell peppers (any colour), hollowed out with tops removed

• 1 cup of rice

• 250 g mushrooms, sliced

• 250 - 300 g spinach

• 1 can sweetcorn

• 1 red onion, diced

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 3 tsp mixed herbs

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tin of tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• Salt and pepper to taste

• OPTIONAL: Cheese or cheese substitute grated

• OPTIONAL: Bacon or minced beef. (If using minced beef use less rice)

• OPTIONAL: Hot sauce or chilli flakes and paprika. Make this recipe spicier by adding these to the tomato sauce.

Although this recipe uses mushrooms, spinach, sweetcorn and onions, any other vegetables could be used to make an equally tasty dish. Just make sure the vegetables are diced and you're good to go.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the tops off of the peppers and hollow them out. Place them on a baking tray.

2. Add the rice to a deep pan with water and a vegetable stock cube. Cook for 11 minutes or until the rice is light and fluffy.

3. Chop the vegetables and any protein. Fry the protein first before adding the mushrooms then the onion, spinach and sweetcorn in a large frying pan. Once all of the vegetables are cooked add them to the drained rice.

4. In a saucepan, heat a little oil before frying the crushed garlic and mixed herbs. Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well then leave the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add two ladlefuls of the sauce to the rice mixture then carefully spoon this into the hollowed-out peppers. Pour the rest of the sauce around the peppers in the baking tray. Grate cheese over the top of the peppers.

6. Bake the peppers in the oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers begin to soften.

Serve 1-2 peppers with sauce. This recipe works well with chips or other carbs for a larger meal. Otherwise, 1 pepper will be great for lunch. TIP: If you have leftover rice, save it and use it to make egg fried rice in other dishes.