Pasta Stuffed Peppers

Since giving up meat, I've come up with some pretty interesting recipes. I've done lots of searching online and in cookbooks at the library to come up with some great ways to keep our menu plan fun and interesting. One of my new favorite books is "One Dish Vegetarian Meals" by Robin Robertson. I got the idea for Pasta Stuffed Peppers from her book, I changed it a little bit but overall it was absolutely delicious. In fact, it was one of the best vegetarian recipes I've had so far! I'm a big fan of spicy food so I kicked them up a little bit. If you want less heat, you can omit the crushed red pepper or cut it in half.

P.S. I was totally skeptical about raisins in stuffed peppers but I feel like they actually "made" the meal. I was totally surprised at how delicious it was with the raisins.

Pasta Stuffed Peppers - Adapted from One Dish Vegetarian Meals

Ingredients:

• 8oz small pasta (they recommend ditalini, but I used tiny chili mac noodles), cooked
• 6 Large Green Peppers (or pepper of your choice)
• 2Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Small Onion, minced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 14.5oz Can Italian Style Diced Tomatoes, Drained
• 1/4 Cup Raisins
• 1tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/4tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 1/2tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Italian Style Breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.

Cut tops off of the peppers and remove seeds, place in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish with 1/2 inch water in the bottom, set aside.

Heat 1Tbsp of oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until soft and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, raisins, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Mix pasta with tomato mixture in a large bowl (or in the skillet if you have room).

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and 1Tbsp of olive oil. Mix with a fork, set aside.

Stuff the peppers with the pasta/tomato mixture and top with bread crumb mixture. Cover casserole dish with foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until topping is slightly browned.