When a recipe turns out well, it is indeed a great satisfaction, just like with these stuffed peppers with tuna and rice. I used corno di toro peppers, commonly known as horn peppers, which I often buy here in the Netherlands and find them more tender and sweet, but you can easily use regular ones, and if they are big, well, the filling of 2 horn peppers will suffice for the larger ones.
The idea was to make a stuffed vegetable that could also be a one-dish meal, so not only tuna but also rice, and to fill them well without making them too heavy, I also added a zucchini and some cherry tomatoes: the vegetables add more volume but don’t cost Weight Watchers points.
To add more flavor, I also added olives and capers. You only need a teaspoon of oil to roast the zucchini. In truth, I wanted to brush them before baking, but I forgot to do it: still delicious. Let’s prepare them!
You can find some other recipes with peppers here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 5 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 5 corno di toro peppers (or regular peppers not too large)
- 1 zucchini (1 large or two small)
- 1 cup oz cherry tomatoes (about 10)
- 2/3 cup cups Arborio rice (or brown rice)
- 5.6 oz oz natural tuna (well drained)
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 20 green olives (pitted)
- to taste salted capers
- to taste basil
- 1 teaspoon aromatic salt (or salt and dried herbs to taste)
- Total Points = 20 WW points
- Points per serving = 7 WW points
Tools
- Pan
Preparation
Wash the peppers well, cut off the tops (keep all of them aside), and gently clean the inside with the help of a small knife, being careful not to break them. Rinse the inside to remove all the seeds and drain them well.
Cook the rice al dente in salted water and drain it well. Dice the vegetables, slice the olives, and soak the capers in water to lose most of the salt.
Heat the teaspoon of oil in a good non-stick pan and roast the zucchini cubes, adding a pinch of salt during cooking. My advice is not to stir them with a utensil but to frequently toss them by shaking the pan: this way, they will brown well on all sides without becoming mushy.
When the zucchini cubes are golden, place them on a small plate over a paper towel so they lose moisture and remain crispier.
In a bowl, place the now cooled rice, well-drained tuna, cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, well-drained capers, chopped basil, and a little salt or aromatic salt. Mix well and then carefully incorporate the zucchini cubes.
Fill all the peppers: I managed to use a small teaspoon to push the filling inside each one, even though I had some difficulty with one because corno di toro peppers are sometimes curved, but I succeeded. If you want, you can also put the filling in a food-grade plastic bag, cut a corner, and use it like a funnel or piping bag.
Finally, place the peppers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover them with their tops. Bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 30 minutes. I haven’t tried it in the air fryer, but I imagine 20 minutes at 320°F will suffice.
After cooking, the peppers should be soft and slightly roasted on the surface. If, as I did, you stuffed the peppers to the brim, the filling will tend to spill over a bit along with the cooking juice: too delicious!
And here are our stuffed peppers with tuna and rice ready to go to the table. Since I used a small oven and baked them in two batches, we had warm ones from the first batch and hot ones from the second, and I can guarantee they are excellent both warm and hot.
We enjoyed them with a piece of ciabatta that we dipped in the juice and a nice green salad, also using arugula from my garden, truly a tasty and healthy meal.
I suggest you prepare them as soon as possible, they are so tasty and with a single recipe you will bring an entire meal to the table. I’m looking forward to your photos on Facebook or in the comments below.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
