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Spiced Lamb and Couscous Stuffed Red Peppers
4.4 from 80 votes

Spiced Lamb and Couscous Stuffed Red Peppers

These red peppers are filled with a fragrant mix of ground lamb, toasted pine nuts, currants, crumbled feta, and couscous seasoned with warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, cardamom, and freshly grated nutmeg. The filling is cooked with aromatic garlic and onions, then baked in tomato sauce for a rich, layered flavor.

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Calories: 238 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

  • 6 -8 bell pepper look for similar sizes and shapes so they cook evenly, red
  • 12 ounces lamb ground
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg freshly grated
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 onion minced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 cups couscous I cook mine in chicken stock for extra flavor, cooked
  • 1/4 cup currants
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
  • salt fresh cracked
  • black pepper fresh cracked
  • pomegranate molasses optional
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes or any plain tomato sauce
Yogurt mint sauce
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves
  • lemon juice of 1

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Slice the tops off of your peppers and reserve. Remove the seeds and veins from the insides of the peppers.
  3. Brown the ground lamb and the spices in a skillet, breaking apart the meat as you cook. After it is well crumbled and no longer pink, remove it to a plate.
  4. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic for a few minutes, until translucent. Remove to the plate with the lamb.
  5. Add the pine nuts to the pan and toast, stirring almost constantly, until they turn golden. Add a touch of olive oil if the pan is dry.
  6. Add back the meat and onions to the pan, along with the cooked couscous, currants, and feta. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I like to drizzle in a little pomegranate molasses, if you have some, but it's optional.
  7. Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish that just fits your peppers. Arrange the peppers on top. Fill each pepper with the filling, pressing down slightly to insure each one is completely filled. Mound the filling up a bit at the top. Replace the tops loosely on the peppers.
  8. Cover the casserole dish and peppers with a sheet of foil. Crimp the foil along the sides of the pan so the peppers can steam. Bake for about one hour and 20 minutes, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes. The peppers should be tender and slightly browned.
  9. Serve with yogurt mint sauce on the side.
  10. To make the yogurt mint sauce, blend the ingredients together in a small food processor.

Nutrition Information

Calories 238kcal (12%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 -8 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 238

% Daily Value*

Calories 238kcal 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.