Easy Barley Stuffed Peppers with Basil and Feta (Vegan)
These barley stuffed peppers are a simple weeknight dinner with chewy barley, creamy feta, vibrant tomatoes, and fresh basil.
Servings: 4 halves
Calories: 435kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups barley cooked
- 2 large bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup vegan feta
- ¼ cup basil chopped, plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 F or 190C.
- Sauté garlic & onion: Begin heating a small skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and minced garlic cloves and cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is slightly translucent.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 small onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Start to boil water: While onion is cooking, begin to boil water in a large pot big enough to fit your peppers. Add in a pinch of salt. Prepare a large bowl of ice cold water.
- How to blanch peppers: Add peppers to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes until skin starts to soften, rotating them if they are not fully submerged.2 large bell peppers
- Submerge in ice bath: Remove peppers with tongs and immediately submerge in ice water bath for one minute to stop the cooking process. Pat dry with paper towel to remove excess water.
- Carve out peppers: Cut peppers in half and carve out the inside using a small paring knife or spoon.Tip: If you have a few seeds stuck in the pepper rinse the pepper under cold water to rinse it out.
- Mix together stuffing ingredients: Combine barley (cooked), sliced tomatoes, chopped basil, vegan feta crumbles, salt, pepper, and Italian herbs.2 cups barley, ½ cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup vegan feta, ¼ cup basil
- Prepare stuffed peppers: Spoon barley mixture into each pepper and press down with a spoon to fill the pepper crevices. Top peppers with more cheese if desired.
- Cook peppers: Place peppers in preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes (uncovered) until peppers are tender but still slightly firm and the inside stuffing is warm. If peppers are too hard, cook for another few minutes.
- Serve with more fresh basil on top if desired.
Notes
*If you still need to make barley, use a quick-cook barley because it can be ready in just 10 minutes!
Substitutions:
Barley ➞ Try out brown rice, millet, quinoa and more! Check out the best subs for barley.
Vegan Feta ➞ You can use vegan mozzarella shreds or another type of cheese
Basil ➞ Parsley would be lovely in this barley stuffed pepper
Other veg ➞ Add spinach, mushrooms (cook it down before with the onions), grated carrots, sliced artichokes, and more!
Tips:
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- Speed it up. You can make this recipe even quick if you make your barley ahead of time. Just store in the fridge for a few days in a container until ready to make your peppers.
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- Go big or go home! Choose the biggest peppers you can find at the grocery store so that you can include a lot of filling. (No one wants a baby pepper!)
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- Top it off. I love to sprinkle more feta on top before cooking it and a few more basil leaves after it's finished cooking.
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- Give it a rest. Let your peppers rest for a few minutes before diving in. This lets it set and it will be easier to transfer to a plate.
Nutrition
Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 630mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2133IU | Vitamin C: 82mg | Calcium: 138mg | Iron: 4mg