Baked Peppers Stuffed with Orzo, Fresh Herbs and Feta Cheese

Stuffed peppers are a wonderful side dish to include in a buffet when entertaining, and baking them in Convection prevents the filling from drying out. I baked the peppers in Convection together with a Stuffed Pork Shoulder Roast, another dish that is ideal for entertaining.

This is such a simple recipe, basically, you prepare the peppers, cook the orzo (or other grain if you prefer) and combine all the ingredients, then stuff the peppers and bake when needed. The most work in this recipe is washing the fresh herbs, drying them completely then finely chopping them.

For my stuffing,  I used orzo pasta mixed with some sauteed shallots, garlic, toasted pine nuts, and a combination of fresh herbs, and feta cheese. Using a combination of different colored peppers makes this dish especially appealing, they can be prepared in advance and baked when needed and, they are delicious served warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

4 peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and membrane removed

½ cup orzo pasta cooked

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped fresh herbs, parsley, basil, mint, oregano

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation

Wash the peppers, and slice them in half lengthwise discard the seeds and carefully cut out the white membrane.

Cook the orzo pasta and sauté the shallot and garlic in a little olive oil. Combine the orzo with the shallots and garlic and set aside to cool before folding in the fresh herbs.  

Once the mixture has cooled fold in the fresh herbs, crumbled feta cheese, and toasted pine nuts. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper and if you like a little spice stir in a pinch of dried red chili flakes.  

Now all you have to do is portion the stuffing into the prepared peppers.

Heat the oven in the Convection Bake or Convection Roast mode at 350 degrees.

Place the peppers in a lightly oiled casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes, until the peppers have softened and the filling has warmed through.

Makes 8 servings