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Lentil Stuffed Peppers

Lentils are a great, cheap go-to for healthy protein and fibre – cut this up so your toddler can handle the pieces easily. For the recipe, click <a title="recipe" href="http://www.motherandbaby.com/2014/02/lentil-stuffed-peppers#.U9irJaj0r9A" target="_
by Sally Bee |
Published on

Preparation Time

35 minutes

Serves

4

Nutrition

N/A

Puree

Blend some of the lentil mix with the peppers

Finger Food

Slice up pieces of cooked peppers into strips

Ingredients

  • 200g red lentils

  • 4 red or green peppers, halved and deseeded

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

  • 1 small carrot, grated

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

  • 1 small courgette, grated

  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

  • 125ml vegetable stock

  • ¼ tsp dried rosemary

  • ¼ dried oregano

  • 1 tsp dried thyme

  • 100g spinach, chopped

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • For the lemon breadcrumb topping

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

  • 30g brown bread breadcrumbs

  • ¼ tsp thyme

  • Grated zest of ½ lemon

  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

This vegetarian dish is packed full of fibre and protein to fill you up

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas mark 5

  2. Put the lentils and 500ml water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes – the lentils shouldn’t be ‘mushy’ at this stage – then drain the lentils and set aside.

  3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and grated carrot and sauté for five minutes. Next, add the garlic, courgette, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and dried herbs and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the chopped spinach and cooked lentils. Season with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt.

  4. Place the pepper halves cut-side up on a lightly greased baking tray and fill the peppers with the lentil mixture, distributing it evenly. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the tops, then cover with kitchen foil and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.

  5. Meanwhile, to make the topping, heat the olive oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and thyme and cook for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are well coated. Add the lemon zest and parsley, then take off the heat and set aside.

  6. After 25–30 minutes, uncover the peppers and sprinkle them with the toppings. Bake uncovered for a further 15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the peppers are soft. Serve immediately.

This recipe is taken from The Secret Ingredient by Sally Bee (£14.99, Harper Nonfiction)

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