I caught a Giada de Laurentis television show in which she made these Red and Yellow Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo and Zucchini Recipe. As there was a bounty of beautiful produce at my local Farmer’s Markets this week, these colorful eye-popping red and yellow bell peppers caught my eye. They had my name on them and I just had to purchase them to use for dinner. I slightly adapted Giada de Laurentis’ recipe to use these beautiful red and yellow bell pepper.
My family loved this recipe and said I could make it again!
This delicious roasted Red and Yellow Stuffed Bell Peppers with Orzo and Zucchini Recipe, comments, and photos were shared with me by Karen Calanchini, Food Stylist and Photographer, of Redding, CA.
- 1 (14-ounce) can stewed tomatoes with Italian seasonings
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 to 3 (depending on the size) zucchini squash, grated*
- 1 tablespoon Fine Herbs Seasoning or 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- 1/4 cup olive oil, extra-virgin
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely-chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt or sea salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon white pepper, freshly-ground (or to taste)
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth**
- 1 1/2 cups Greek Orzo Pasta, uncooked***
- 3 red bell peppers
- 3 orange or yellow bell peppers
- 1 cup (or more) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Pour canned tomatoes into a large bowl. Using kitchen shears or your clean hands, break any large tomato pieces into smaller chunks. Add grated zucchini squash, herbs, Pecorino cheese, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper; set aside.
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Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add Orzo and cook 4 minutes only (the orzo will be underdone at this point). Drain off the chicken broth and reserve. Transfer reserved chicken broth to a 3-quart baking dish and set aside. Add the orzo to the tomato/zucchini mix and mix well to combine. Any extra orzo mixture may be frozen to fill a few more peppers later, or add to your next homemade vegetable soup.
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Slice the tops off the bell peppers; remove ribs, seeds, and discard. Note: You may also cut bell peppers in half and fill each half, if you prefer smaller portions, which is what I did.
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Cut a very thin slice from the bottom of the peppers so they will stand upright. I put the piece I cut off into the pepper. Carefully spoon the prepared orzo mixture into each prepared bell pepper and place in a baking dish. Pour the reserved chicken broth around the stuffed bell peppers in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
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Bake 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese evenly over each pepper. Continue to bake until cheese is golden and melted, approximately 15 minutes.
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Makes 6 to 8 servings.
* I like my food to have a lot of color, so I use 1 green and 1 yellow/orange zucchini squash.
** Learn how easy it is to make your own homemade chicken broth.
*** Greek Orzo is a pasta shaped like grains of rice.
More delicious Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipes:
Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe
Stuffed Bell Peppers are one of my husband’s favorite dishes. I think it reminds him of food his mother used to make for him. Stuffed Bell Peppers are also excellent on your diet as they are low calorie.
Italian Stuffed Bell Pepper Recipe
These Italian Stuffed Bell Peppers are a family favorite. These pretty bell peppers are easy to make and taste wonderful. Serve with crusty sourdough bread to soak up the resulting juices, and Oven-Roasted Asparagus for a colorful presentation.
Stuffed Bell Peppers with Couscous, Beef, and Tomatoes Recipe
This colorful and tasty dish is great for busy days as it simply requires putting everything into a bowl and mixing. We love the colorful bell peppers, versus the green bell peppers for this dish as they are sweeter and the colors are very attractive.