Bean and Couscous Stuffed Peppers

I love when a meal turns out better than I expected.

I really wanted some stuffed peppers the other night and my original idea didn’t happen after finding out I didn’t have a few ingredients. So, I found what I could in the kitchen and got working – and it still turned out great!

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The Israeli Couscous is the key here. If you’ve never tried it, you need to change that.

Israeli couscous is so puffy and doughy and has a completely different texture than the normal, smaller, sand-like couscous.

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The best part about this meal is it only took 30 minutes to make.

That impressed me because I’ve tried making some of Rachael Ray’s 30-minute meals, but it almost always takes me longer than 30 minutes to actually get them on the table.

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As for the peppers, I sliced them in half, pulled out the ribs/seeds, and roasted them at 425 for 20 minutes while the couscous mixture cooked.

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For the couscous filling:

  • 1 cup Israeli couscous
  • 2 cups water or broth

Bring water or broth to a boil and add couscous. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the couscous is cooked and water/broth is absorbed.

While the peppers were roasting and the couscous was simmering, I got the other ingredients together.

  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 links turkey sausage
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • parsley
  • oregano
  • salt
  • pepper

I sauteed the carrot, onion, and garlic in a little olive oil until softened, then added the sausage to brown. Stir in the tomato paste, beans, and seasonings and add the cooked couscous and mix together.

Pour couscous mixture into pepper halves and serve!

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We had our peppers along side a spinach, strawberry, red onion, and feta salad with a homemade dressing.

Delicious!

And the best part is that this meal is easily converted to vegetarian/vegan, too.

 

What’s your favorite dish to make using couscous? 

 

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9 comments

  1. I love to stuff tomatoes with regular couscous herb mixture. So yummy.

  2. Mmm the couscous looks amazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe :)

  3. mmm…I love israeli couscous and the texture may be my favorite part. I like to eat it cold in salads with herbs, fresh tomatoes, and a balsamic vinaigrette or warm with saffron and even indian dishes.

  4. p.s. I still haven’t attempted stuffed peppers of any kind, I should get on that!

  5. I haven’t made couscous in a long time – I need to! Love how colorful your dish is Brandi!!

    Happy Friday!

  6. Love, love, love Israeli couscous! I’m not a big fan or red kidney beans, but I’m sure this would be great with cannelinis too. I made some couscous stuffed peppers with lots of a veggies a while ago. I love that peppers can be stuffed with so many different fillings.

    I honestly love making just about anything with Israeli couscous… I’ve posted a few recipes on my blog… one with shallots and parsley that is so tasty and then some others with spinach and tomatoes…

  7. I made something similar to this a few weeks ago. Loved it! :)

    Hope you have a great weekend girl.

  8. Israeli couscous looks quite delicious. I definitely need to keep my eye out for it!

  9. Those look like they turned out great! So colorful and I bet so flavorful as well.

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