Vegetable and Barley Stuffed Peppers

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A New Years resolution is a goal that someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.
I have many goals for 2011 food related and otherwise which I won’t bore you with right now but one thing I will continue to do is to eat more meatless meals. I have to admit I really enjoy cooking with vegetables the possibilities are endless and besides all that color on my plate just makes me happy!
Mixing vegetables with your favorite grains and pastas result in a very hearty and satisfying meal, such is the case with my vegetable and barley stuffed peppers.

Roasted artichoke hearts and portobello mushrooms are the two key ingredients here tossed into the barley, and then of course all that goodness gets stuffed into an edible sweet roasted red pepper. Yes, you could use rice, but I urge you make this with barley, it’s a welcome change. Oh, and did I mention that barley is a nutritional powerhouse? It’s packed with fiber and it even helps lower cholesterol so it’s a win win situation all around!

I served a nice Italian salad along side my stuffed peppers and the husband and myself were very happy and contented!

Prepare your barley just like you do rice using three times as much water as barley. When it’s finished I like to cool it down on a sheet pan so it doesn’t keep cooking and become mushy, you want to retain that nice chewy texture that barley is know for.

The vegetables I used and tossed into my barley were;

Frozen artichoke hearts drizzled with olive oil and roasted in a 400F oven as well as large diced portobello mushroom pieces, diced zucchini is another option as well.
Chopped red onion
Sliced cherry tomatoes
Feta cheese
Fresh basil and parsley
Lemon zest and juice
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Toss all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste
To prepare the peppers slice the top off, scoop out the seeds, brush inside and out with olive oil and roast in oven or under the broiler just until knife tender but watch so they do not colapse, the pepper will be your vessel for the stuffing.
This can be served room temperature or slightly warmed.
Buon Appetito!
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Comments

  1. Sherry Busalacchi says

    I am Italian as you and share your passion of cooking & baking. I just retired in Jan 2016 due to my mother-in-laws illness.
    I just came across your web site . I love the sound of your recipes but am having trouble printing the picture with the
    recipe. I have zillions, I mean zillions of cookbooks and still I download recipes. I started cooking when I was 15 & my mom
    went to work. In the summer, I looked up recipes in cookbooks, mom bought the groceries needed and I cooked away.
    It was the best summer! I was born in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan in a small town called Bessesmer. We moved
    to Ypsilanti in the lower part of MI when I was 14 to be near the universities. I am assuming your living in Chicago.
    I worked @ a resort in Eagle River, WI when I was in college one summer. Met a lot of people from Chicago and also
    started running around with this guy, he was in the band at the resort, who was from Evanston or something like that.
    We kept in touch that year and I spent a couple weeks with his family in Chicago the next summer.

    I would love to be computer pals if that is the correct phrase. I do use recipes , but I also addlib most of them @ this point.
    I’ve been married to the same guy for about 40 years. We have a daughter that lives in CA in the Sierra foothills and
    a son who lives in Austin, TX. Noelle is 1 & 1/.2 hrs away from where we live-and the grandkids always are loaded
    down with their sports etc. We simply don’t see them as often as we would like. The other (2) grandkids are boys
    age 3 & 1 , both just had birthdays, and we’re lucky if we see them once a year. We Skype a lot which makes things
    a bit better. Current times are so much different than when I was a kid. Well time for me to go make your recipe
    for Polenta on the board with roasted mushrooms. I do polenta easier- Using 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal with 3 &3/4 cups
    water or broth, mix in glass bowl, cover with paper towel and in segments of 3 min each, microwave. Take out
    each 3 min & stir well. When get to 3rd or 4th time, add grated cheese, butter, onion powder, black pepper, whatever
    you want. You can tell when its time to remove all together and dump onto a board. Enjoy & hopefully we can
    keep in touch.

    • So nice to meet you Sherry! I think you have the option of printing the picture or not, I’ll look into it. We just came back from Traverse City and we thoroughly enjoyed it, yes please keep in touch. Marie

  2. Whatv a great idea. I love Barly but but have only used it for soups. And CS loves stuffed peppers. To use barly as a meat replacement is an excellent idea that he would love as its almost pasta like in texture.

  3. What delicious looking stuffed peppers ~ I love how healthy they are and the roasted artichoke hearts sounds divine.

  4. How is it I have never been here before? Probably a good thing, though – I’d weigh in at 400 pounds! I am absolutely going to try this – though I have yet to cook barley. Ever! It just looks so fantastic stuffed in those peppers – yum. And then down below? The crab stuffed shrimp? I have those marked as well – wow!
    Stumbled ya – they were too great not to share!

  5. Love your recipes and photos.

    Thanks for sharing,
    Linda

    http://www.athomeinthesuburbs.blogspot.com

  6. I keep promising myself that I’ll make some stuffed peppers and yet never seem to get around to doing it. Less meat is a good idea, but now that the holidays are over, less everything is a good idea!

  7. just happened to find your blog on Italian cooking while looking for recipes.

    I love the looks of your barley stuffed roasted red pepper and will definitely put this on my ‘to try list’ of recipes! I love stuffed peppers, but never stuffed them with barley and the rest of what you list. it looks very tasty!

    this looks like a blog I’ll be putting on my ‘favorite site’ list. 🙂

  8. I’ve recently gotten into barley (love it!) and have been looking for some new recipes. This looks beautiful and tasty; thanks!

  9. These stuffed peppers look incredibly delicious and I love how healthy they are with all the vegetables! An excellent way to start the year!

  10. Looks wonderful…I particularly like the roasted artichokes buried in there.

    I never use barley. I don’t know why. You’ve made me think I should pick up a bag and give it a try.

  11. This is a perfect dish after the indulgence of so much rich food and meat during the holidays! The colors are so attractive. Your photos are fabulous! I think this will be a good dish to serve my family on Chinese New Year for a change. We love RED in everything for CNY!

  12. Barley is a great grain to use as stuffing for these gorgeous peppers, Marie. Quinoa would work well, too. Those grains are real powerhouses of nutrition. I like how you roasted the artichoke hearts and the mushrooms first. And, of course, your photos capture it all perfectly!

  13. You are making it easy to start the new year off with a healthy diet. I don’t eat a lot of meat and can really feel the effect of it after the holiday. This will be on our menu this weekend.

  14. Forgive me if this is a duplicate comment. My “window” went away and I don’t know if I submitted it (cold brain for the New Year). Can I say that – I much prefer the barley over the rice. I love the opportunity to add yet another vegetable dinner to our week and this is just ripe for add-ins. Plus – vegetables are so very pretty. All that color is welcome in January.

  15. For the last two years, dinners are increasingly meatless. I actually prefer the barley over the rice and love the excuse to stuff in more vegetables. Plus – it’s so pretty, Vegetables are just pretty! I will be doing this soon.

  16. I’d be happy with a big bowl of just the filling…it looks so yummy!

  17. Love this, Marie!
    I’ve also been eating more meatless meals and this winter I’m concentrating on finding locally grown and organic produce.

  18. This is so beautiful and complex. I love all these healthy ingredients, what a great dish to start a healthy New Years resolution!

    I hope your Christmas and New Years celebration was wonderful!
    xoxo

  19. Barley is actually my favorite whole grain of all time! The stuffing for this pepper sounds delicious!

  20. You are setting a great example Marie – I need to eat more healthy grains and you’ve given us a great way to get started.

  21. sounds wonderful and colorful and perfect to start the year with.

  22. I love vegetarian stuffed peppers, and the barley makes these very healthy.
    I make mine sometimes w/ just breadcrumbs, capers, raisins and other good stuff. I too, am trying to eat meat less in 2011 and more vegetables at every meal.
    Love stuffed peppers!

  23. Thanks for sharing all these great recipes! I’ve started a new cooking blog myself and would love any feedback or comments you can give, so please be sure to check out The Savvy Kitchen at http://www.savvykitchen.blogspot.com. I look forward to continuing reading your blog in 2011!

  24. Happy New Year!

    Mushrooms and barley are a great combination and it was brilliant to put that kind of mixture into a stuffed pepper. I often stuff my peppers with couscous, apricots, and feta.

  25. Sounds DELISH!!!
    {{{HUGS}}}
    Donna

  26. Making Meatless Meals a part of our life seems the way to go for a more healthy lifestule in 2011. These stuffed peppers look so delicious.

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