Stuffed Red Bell Peppers with Couscous and a Creamy Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 cup couscous
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup pancetta
1/2 packed cup chopped baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese (or asiago)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium red bell peppers (since I just made this for myself, I just used 1 red bell pepper… )
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 medium orange bell pepper
1 large zucchini sliced and cut into bite size pieces
3 leaves of basil cut into thin strips
2 scallions cut into small pieces
Hot water, as needed

Method

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Filling: In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth and cumin to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover the pan until the couscous is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes. Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the beans, scallions, spinach, parmesan and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Then put the pancetta and the zucchini into a small skillet, sautee just until the zucchini starts to soften and then add into the same bowl as the rest of the ingredients. Stir until all the ingredients are combined.

Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the ribs and seeds. If necessary, cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up. Stuff the peppers with the filling and drizzle the tops with olive oil. Put the peppers in an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish. Fill the baking dish with 3/4-inch hot water and bake until the filling is golden and the peppers are cooked through, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cooks Note: If the filling begins to brown too quickly, cover the pan with foil.) (I cooked my 1 pepper for 30 minutes, which was plenty. I refrigerated the remaining filling for a later time!)

Sauce: In a blender, combine the basil, creme fraiche, olive oil, water, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. (Or just blend together my version in a nutribullet)

Remove the peppers from the oven and arrange on serving plates. Spoon the sauce around the peppers and serve.

Enjoy!!!