Healthy and Easy Couscous Stuffed Bell Peppers

I love to make stuffed bell peppers when I have extra bell peppers or when I feel like doing a meatless Monday. They’re easy to throw together and a yummy way to get more veggies and couscous into my family’s diet. My favorite part is the taste of the roasted bell peppers! So good!

Looking for options? I’ve got you covered. Add any veggies and any combo of spices depending on the flavor profile you’re going for. You can even add ground meat if the meatless Monday idea isn’t your cup of tea. No matter what you add, these are going to be delish!

❤️ Why You’ll Love Couscous Stuffed Peppers:

• Complete meal in one or perfect as a side dish.
• Great for meal prep.
• Toddler-friendly recipe that will be enjoyed by the whole family.
• Tons of flavor.
• So easy to make.
• So colorful for beautiful presentation.

🍲 Ingredients

Large Bell Peppers

Couscous

Chicken Bone Broth

Mushrooms

Zucchini

Parmesan Cheese

Garlic

Olive Oil

Italian Seasoning

Spices: salt and black pepper

👩‍🍳 How to Make Couscous Stuffed Peppers

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Prepare the bell peppers by cutting off the tops and removing the seeds and membranes. 
3. In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable broth or water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the couscous, remove from heat, cover, and let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed the liquid.
4. In a medium skillet on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir until veggies are browned and cooked, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the cooked couscous and parmesan to veggie mixture and mix well to combine.
6. Stuff the prepared bell peppers with the couscous mixture, pressing the filling down gently to pack it in.
7. Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish and drizzle olive oil over the tops of the peppers.
8. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
9. Remove the foil, top with more parmesan cheese and return dish back to oven for another 10-15 minutes of baking to allow the tops to brown slightly.
10. Once the stuffed peppers are cooked through, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before serving.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• Instead of stuffing the whole peppers, you can use pepper halves, but cutting the bell pepper from top to bottom.
• For baby led weaning and toddlers, cut the peppers into age-appropriate sizes after roasting.

🗒 Substitutions

• Use rice in place of the couscous to make gluten-free.

🗒 Variations

• Use any color peppers: yellow, orange or red or a combo.
• Add any veggies you like, such as baby spinach, cherry tomatoes or chopped onion.
• For Mediterranean flavors, add feta cheese, kalamata olives, and pine nuts.
• To add protein: add ground beef, ground chicken or ground lamb to veggie mixture
• To add protein without meat: add garbanzo beans, black beans or white beans.

🗒 Best served with

• Serve with roasted chicken or meatballs or a side salad.

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover couscous stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up the three days.

🤔 Common Questions