This Hairy Bikers stuffed peppers recipe fills halved red or yellow peppers with chestnut mushrooms, hazelnuts, sun-dried tomato, breadcrumbs and feta. And the Hairy Dieters recipe serves 2 at 401 calories a portion, and it’s on the table in under an hour.
They call them “a delight to the eye as well as the tastebuds”, and it’s a vegetarian dish from their first Hairy Dieters book. And the strong flavours come from chilli flakes, garlic, sun-dried tomato and feta, with just 2 tsp of oil in the whole dish.
The small sheet of foil laid over the stuffing is easy to overlook, since the recipe never says why it’s there. So my reading is that it stops the crumbs scorching at 220°C, before it comes off near the end to let the top colour.
Hairy Bikers Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Description
A stir-fry of mushrooms and toasted hazelnuts gets mixed with sun-dried tomato, garlic, crumbs, parsley and chilli, then feta is tossed through in chunks. Then each pepper half is packed with it in a foil-lined tin and baked at 220°C, with a lightly dressed salad alongside.
Ingredients
For the stuffing
For the peppers
To serve
Instructions
- Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7, then roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Fry the mushrooms: Heat the oil in a large frying pan and stir-fry the mushrooms over a high heat for 4 minutes. Then add the hazelnuts and fry for a minute more, until lightly toasted.
- Mix the stuffing: Season with black pepper and take the pan off the heat. Next stir in the tomatoes, garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley and chilli flakes until well combined.
- Add the cheese: Break the cheese into small chunks and toss them lightly through the stuffing.
- Prepare the peppers: Cut the peppers in half from top to bottom and carefully remove the seeds and membrane. Then sit them cut side up in a small foil-lined roasting tin.
- Fill and cover: Fill each half with the stuffing, then cover the surface of the stuffing with a small piece of foil.
- Bake: Bake for 35 minutes until tender, taking the foil off for the last 10 minutes. Then serve warm with a lightly dressed mixed salad.
FAQs
How long do stuffed peppers take in the oven?
This recipe bakes them for 35 minutes at 220°C, or 200°C fan, with the foil coming off for the final 10. So if a summary online says 25 minutes, check whether it means the covered stage, since the full bake is 35.
And smallish peppers matter, because bigger ones may need longer to go tender, which is my own warning rather than theirs.
Is there a version with mince?
Yes, their Ultimate Comfort Food stuffed peppers use 400g of lamb mince with cumin, cinnamon, ginger, tomatoes and a little soaked basmati, serving 4. And those peppers get 20 minutes on their own first, tops off, before the filling goes in for another 30.
They come with a yoghurt and dill sauce made with browned onions, and they’re pitched as a light meal or a lunchbox filler.
Is there a vegan stuffed pepper?
Yes, their Veggie Feasts couscous-stuffed peppers swap cheese for a crunchy topping of breadcrumbs, pine nuts, parsley and lemon zest. Then the filling is giant couscous with courgette, artichokes, cinnamon, mint and cherry tomatoes.
And they put 100ml of water in the dish for the first bake, which they say creates steam and helps the peppers soften.
Can you use goat’s cheese instead of feta?
Yes, the recipe lists 100g feta or soft goat’s cheese, drained, so either is part of their recipe. But it gives one figure of 401 calories a portion, without saying which of the two cheeses it was worked out with.
What else is worth making from their books?
Their Mums Still Know Best beef-stuffed marrow does the same job with a whole marrow and two cheeses. And if you liked the lamb version’s cinnamon and mint, their cinnamon-spiced lamb moussaka from Meat Feasts uses both.
And for another vegetarian bake that serves 5, their roasted vegetable lasagne from Veggie Feasts layers roasted vegetables with an infused béchamel.
