Mediterranean Lamb & Couscous Stuffed Peppers

These sweet roasted peppers are loaded with bold Mediterranean flavors including ground lamb, feta and lemon and topped with crunchy toasted pine nuts. It pairs perfectly with a side of creamy tzatziki!

I can’t typically get my hands on ground lamb in our small town, so when i acquired a pound, i knew i needed to make something special with it. If you don’t eat lamb or can’t get your hands on it, feel free to substitute ground beef. Lamb has a slightly gamey flavor, so venison would be a good alternative as well. A mixture of half venison and half beef, would be a particularly good substitute.

Mediterranean Lamb & Couscous Stuffed Peppers

3 medium bell peppers (red, yellow or green) 1.5 c. chopped onions 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. dried mint leaves 1 tsp. dried rosemary 1 tsp. dried dill ¼ c. lemon juice 1 c. chicken broth ½ c. couscous 1 teaspoon olive oil 8 oz. ground lamb Salt and pepper ¼ c. toasted pine nuts ½ c. crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 450°. Slice bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds, then place on a greased cookie sheet cut side down. Bake at 450° for 13-15 minutes. When peppers are browned nicely, removed from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, heat olive oil and add onions and spices. Sauté onions until they have a nice brown color, about 5 minutes. Add lamb and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes.

To the sauté pan with the onions and meat, add the chicken broth, ½ of the lemon juice and couscous. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, immediately turn it down to low and cover. Let it sit covered for 4-5 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as the remaining lemon juice, toasted pine nuts and ½ of the feta.

Turn roasted peppers cut-side up, and fill with mixture. Be generous when filling, and overflow the top of the pepper a bit. Top the filled peppers with the remaining feta. Return peppers to oven and bake for about 5 minutes or until feta is slightly melted. Serve warm with a side of cold tzatziki.

Serving: 1 grams