Barley-Stuffed Peppers
A hearty vegetarian dish featuring bell peppers stuffed with a savory mixture of barley, mushrooms, and two kinds of cheese. The peppers are topped with crispy breadcrumbs for added texture and baked until tender.
Ingredients
- •¾ cup uncooked barley, or 2 cups cooked barley or other grain
- •2 tablespoons olive oil
- •2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- •to taste Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- •to taste freshly cracked black pepper
- •½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- •1 cup small-diced fresh mozzarella
- •¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- •1 whole yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
- •1 whole red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
- •1 cup bread crumbs
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Slice the mushrooms, grate the parmesan, dice the mozzarella, chop the parsley, halve and seed the bell peppers.
15 min
- 2.
Cook the barley according to the package instructions. Transfer the barley to a bowl and set aside.
45 min
- 3.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and make sure the oven rack is positioned in the center.
10 min
- 4.
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and rippling, add half the mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper. Do not touch the pan!
5 min
- 5.
After 3 to 4 minutes, use tongs to flip one mushroom. If it's not browned to your liking, give them another minute or two. When they're ready, flip all the mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
6 min
- 6.
Add the cooked mushrooms to the bowl with the barley and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
6 min
- 7.
Add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and the parsley to the bowl and stir to combine.
3 min
- 8.
Line the pepper halves cut side up on a baking sheet and season each with a pinch of kosher salt.
5 min
- 9.
Use a large spoon to divide the barley filling evenly among the pepper halves.
5 min
- 10.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the filling is hot in the center and the peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
20 min
- 11.
Sprinkle the peppers with the bread crumbs and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.
8 min
