This Couscous Stuffed Peppers recipe is packed with whole grains, healthy protein, and the flavors of the Mediterranean. It's ready in less than an hour and can easily feed a crowd. Enjoy hot with your favorite sides or store away for a quick and delicious meal prep.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Packed with Mediterranean flavors. The couscous mixture in this recipe is made with some of my favorite healthy Mediterranean ingredients like fresh parsley, fresh dill, chickpeas, couscous, and a quality olive oil. It's simply spiced, yet bursting with flavor.
- Can be served as both a main dish or a side dish. Grain and feta stuffed peppers are versatile in that they can be filling enough to be served as a main or paired alongside your favorite lean protein for a more hearty meal.
- Perfect for meal prep. Make these peppers on Sunday night and enjoy them as a quick and easy lunch throughout the week. The recipe can also be doubled or tripled as necessary to suit your needs and family size.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Bell peppers. Any color peppers will work well. If you like sweet peppers, use red peppers. If you like more bitter peppers, try green bell peppers.
- Couscous. Any type of fluffy couscous will work here. Israeli couscous (pearl couscous) or Moroccan couscous are both great. If you are a fan of couscous, try Moroccan Couscous Salad next.
- Diced tomatoes. I recommend using salt-free tomatoes to better control the sodium content in these peppers. If you only have a salted can of diced tomatoes, reduce or omit the added teaspoon of salt.
- Chickpeas. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a staple ingredient in Mediterranean cooking because of their high protein and fiber content. They're an excellent addition to any vegetarian dish to help keep you full and satisfied. I used canned chickpeas to make prep quick and easy, but feel free to cook them from scratch and replace the can with 1 ½ cups of legumes.
- Feta cheese. Tangy, salty feta adds a final touch of flavor and creaminess that completes the dish and compliments the other Mediterranean flavors in these couscous stuffed peppers. If desired, feel free to omit or replace the feta with your favorite cheese. Mozzarella cheese or goat cheese would be good alternatives.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
Cut the peppers lengthwise, then place the pepper halves face up in a casserole dish of choice. Spray lightly with cooking spray, then pre-cook for 10 minutes.
Step 1: Warm olive oil in a large skillet, then add in the diced onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and spices. Mix to combine then simmer for about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Turn off the heat and add the cooked couscous, baby spinach, fresh lemon juice and herbs. Spoon the filling mixture into the peppers and top each with a sprinkle of feta cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until warmed through and the peppers are softened. Serve and enjoy!
💭Recipe FAQs
There are two popular ways to cut bell peppers when making stuffed peppers. Some recipes call for cutting off the pepper tops and baking the peppers whole standing up. Or, you can cut the peppers in half lengthwise and bake the pepper halves on their sides. This method is my preferred method because it cooks faster and is easier to eat.
This can be caused by overbaking the peppers. It can also happen if your filling contains too much excess water or liquid. For best results, follow the recipe measurements and bake times.
Yes, simply omit the feta cheese and these peppers are naturally vegan-friendly.
Couscous stuffed peppers will last for up to 3 days. To store, allow the peppers to cool completely to room temperature, then place them in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate. I have not tested freezing these peppers and cannot recommend it.
Yes. If desired, replace the chickpeas with 1 pound of ground meat. I'd recommend a leaner protein such as ground chicken or ground turkey, but ground beef will also work. Add it to the pan after recipe step 3 and cook until golden brown and crispy, then resume the recipe as usual.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Prep the couscous in advance. This recipe calls for pre-cooked and cooled couscous. To make the recipe prep simpler and quicker, I recommend making the couscous about 24 hours in advance and storing it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. If you're new to cooking with couscous, follow my cooking instructions in this recipe: Lemon Herb Pearl Couscous.
- Cook the couscous in broth. This will help add flavor to the dish. Both chicken broth and vegetable broth would work well here.
- Make sure you pre-cook the bell peppers while you make the filling. They won't fully cook if you skip this step.
🥗Serving
Stuffed peppers are the perfect hearty main to serve alongside simple dishes like Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans, Roasted Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts, Italian Tomato Salad, or Air Fryer Frozen Brussels Sprouts.
If you aren't vegetarian, you can also serve these stuffed peppers as a side to your favorite protein. I recommend something simply seasoned, such as Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken, or Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Thighs.
🥣Storage & Reheating
If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat in the microwave or in the oven until warm.
To freeze stuffed peppers, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Recipes You May Like
- Easy Meatball and Couscous Soup Recipe40 Minutes
- Lemon Pearl Couscous17 Minutes
- Greek Turkey Meatballs with Tzatziki40 Minutes
- Air Fryer Stuffed Peppers50 Minutes
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Couscous Stuffed Peppers
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
- Cutting board
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
- Olive oil spray
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (no salt added)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 2 cups couscous, cooked
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- ¼-1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Once preheated, add the cut peppers to a baking dish, spray lightly with olive oil spray and pre-cook for 10 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Mix in the diced tomatoes, chickpeas and spices. Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked couscous, spinach, lemon juice and herbs until the spinach is wilted. Spoon the mixture into the peppers and top them with feta cheese.
- Place the peppers in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
Sarah's Tips
- Prep the couscous in advance. This recipe calls for pre-cooked and cooled couscous. To make the recipe prep simpler and quicker, I recommend making the couscous about 24 hours in advance and storing it in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. If you're new to cooking with couscous, follow my cooking instructions in this recipe: Lemon Herb Pearl Couscous.
- Cook the couscous in broth. This will help add flavor to the dish. Both chicken broth and vegetable broth would work well here.
- Make sure you pre-cook the bell peppers while you make the filling. They won't fully cook if you skip this step.
- If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for a few days and reheat in the microwave or in the oven until warm.
- To freeze stuffed peppers, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
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