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To everyone who took the time to read my last post, comment on it, send me an email, or message me on Facebook – thank you! I was so nervous about publishing that post, but I can see that it was worth it. Your kind thoughts, comments, and gestures mean the world to me. XO, Faith
Moving on to some food… ;)
About a month ago Mike asked me if I secretly became a vegetarian. I had to laugh because I know what he’s talking about…but no, really I haven’t (I almost wish I could, but sometimes I just crave a good burger, you know? Or roast chicken…mmm…). But on a daily (or even weekly) basis, I do seem to be eating less and less meat. (And that says a lot because I was never a huge meat eater to begin with; I could never just sit down and polish off a steak in one sitting…a couple bites and now we’re talking though.)
This meal was born one day when I had a pack of red peppers in my fridge to use up, and I wanted to stuff them with something light but hearty at the same time. Bulgur wheat was the perfect choice, and a few toasted pine nuts on top really make the dish feel special.
And it looks so festive too, doesn’t it? Just look at the pretty green from the spinach and the gorgeous red peppers. If I wanted to plan a vegetarian or vegan holiday menu, I think this would be a lovely addition.
Spinach & Bulgur Wheat Stuffed Red Peppers {Vegan}
Serves 6
1 cup bulgur wheat (medium ground)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 medium onions, diced
5 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb baby spinach, rinsed
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 medium red bell peppers, halved and deseeded
4 tablespoons pine nuts
Combine the bulgur, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and boiling water in a medium bowl; cover and let sit until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the bulgur in a fine mesh sieve, gently pushing with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much water as possible; set aside.
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or a silpat liner; arrange the peppers (cut side up) on the baking sheet. Set aside for now.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, then stir in the spinach and 1 tablespoon of water and cook (covered) until wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the black pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Stir together the bulgur and spinach mixture and stuff it into the peppers. Pour 4 tablespoons of water into the bottom of the pan; cover with foil and bake until the peppers are tender, about 45 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to a small skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle the toasted nuts on top of the stuffed peppers and serve.
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Thank you so much for this recipe. I made it tonight and it was delectable. I had some red peppers and most of the ingredients. I will make them again when my daughter visits from London with her fiancee, in a couple of weeks time. They are both vegetarians and I am almost!! I am from Melbourne, Australia and look forward to checking out your delicious recipes.
I’ve been eating less and less meat–it has slowly ebbed away–and I don’t miss it. (but I still enjoy it when I do eat it.)
This is a great recipe using bulghur–tasty and satisfying for vegans and omnivores alike!
This looks absolutely gorgeous! I would quite happily be a full time vegetarian if I got to eat food like this all the time!
Faith, I have been doing the same lately. It seems that we eat Vegan / Vegetarian 80% of the time. These looks delicious and very beautiful!
Hooray for vegan meals! As my boss at the restaurant always says, “you don’t have to be vegetarian to eat vegetarian!” This sounds wonderful, very healthy and filling. Stuffed veggies make for such an impressive presentation, too.
Lovely :) but i’m a strange on i dun like the look and taste of red peppers so i’ll prob use green peppers instead hehe
Looks colourful and delishh………..
I am so sorry about what has happened to you Faith. It is a cruel world and it reminds us every single day isn’t it? But you should see the bright side of it. It made you wiser. In your next attmept you will be more careful and you will ask what you diserve. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I’ve seen recipes of mine posted in a fwe blogs as their own. And it was only recently that I saw my way of making baklava published in a cook book of a fellow blogger without even mentioning from where that way came from. That’s ok. I don’t let such things get to me anymore. The 43 years I carry in my back along with the wrinkles gave me also this tolerance. I love your stuffed peppers, we stuff them too with rice and ground veal.
A splendid vegan treat! I love the bulgur filling.
I just read your last post and UGH that is SO frustrating! And pretty awful and unprofessional of her. If there’s no retraction in the next issue, i would report her to some of her higher-ups in the larger company.
Anyways. As someone who IS a vegetarian (not secret)…I LOVE these! That stuffing sounds awesome!
My family loves stuffed red peppers but I usually stuff them with ground turkey, brown rice or some type of grains and a tomato sauce. As a huge fan of spinach and various grains I wonder why I never opted for something like this. I do like the sound of it so much better. Thank you for sharing.
Definitely festive! And beautiful, delicious, and healthy looking at the same time! Bulgur is my new love lately, and I just can’t seem to stop cooking it. Love the recipe!
Your stuffed peppers are very festive Faith! And the filling sounds delicious – some of my all time favorites! I’m the same way about meat – a few bites and I’m done but give me a burger and it’ll disappear.
These look amazing! I’m a big fan of stuffed peppers, so new varieties pique my interest for sure—thanks for sharing :)
Super filling and incredible stuffed peppers..
Very pretty indeed. Happy holidays! Love the pine nut garnish.
LL
Love stuffed peppers and these look so good.
Yum, yum, yum! This looks incredible. Will definitely be trying this soon as I have a ton of leftover already-soaked bulgur in the freezer from making kobeibah shamy (baked kibbe) for TG … which I still have to blog about btw! Oh, and since my family fasts for part of Advent from meats/poultry, I’ll suggest this recipe to them! Thanks, Faith :)
I just read your post about being ripped off–it’s happened to me so many times. If it’s cool, I want to shoot you an e-mail later and ask you something!
Absolutely, Duckie!
I have a huge tendency to gravitate towards veg meals. This looks just gorgeous!
Really scrumptious looking and sounding! Great filling.
Cheers,
Rosa
These peppers look lovely and festive for a holiday table. Your last post was really information — so sorry that happened, but thanks for sharing your story and tips/lessons learned.
I caught your “proceed with caution” on Facebook, Faith. I’m so glad you wrote the post AND so sorry this happened to you. So many lessons to be learned and unfortunately, it never ends. There’s always someone who wants to take advantage.
Your stuffed red peppers look wonderful. And it’s such a simple recipe too. Just what we need right now. Good, healthy and fast!
sooooooooo appetizing n healthy..
Tasty Appetite