Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Orzo Stuffed Peppers are filled with a flavorful orzo, tomato and zucchini mixture and Parmesan cheese, then baked with extra Parmesan on top!

My infatuation with orzo doesn’t seem to be going away. When I saw La Bella Cook’s Orzo Stuffed Peppers, I knew I had to try them!

Originally I thought about stuffing tomatoes with this orzo mixture, but ultimately Bob and I decided to use the peppers. I love cooking orzo in chicken broth – it truly imparts a wonderful flavor to the pasta. This is the same method in one of my favorite side dishes, Orzo with Parmesan and Basil. We loved this dinner!!!

Recipe Details

My favorite brand of orzo is Barilla because it is thinner than other brands.

I made the entire recipe of ‘stuffing’ (enough for 6 peppers) and just used it to stuff 2 peppers, then baked the rest in a casserole dish to have for my lunches the rest of the week.

Gluten Free Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Use gluten free orzo pasta in place of traditional orzo to make this recipe entirely gluten free.

Looking for More Orzo Recipes?

Check out these other recipes using orzo pasta:
Lemon Orzo Salad
Tomatoes, Zucchini and Olive Orzo
Ale Braised Sausages and Peppers with Orzo
Orzo with Parmesan and Basil
Creamy Orzo

Orzo Stuffed Peppers

Meghan

Orzo Stuffed Peppers are filled with a flavorful orzo, tomato and zucchini mixture and Parmesan cheese, then baked with extra Parmesan on top!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 28 ounces canned petite cut diced tomatoes
• 1 zucchini (grated)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (plus extra for garnish if desired)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (grated)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups dry orzo
• 6 sweet peppers (any color)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl. Add the zucchini, basil, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes (I think you can even reduce this amount depending on the thickness of your orzo because the orzo really expands when it’s cooked in the peppers). Do not fully cook.
• While the pasta cooks, prepare the peppers by cutting off the tops and scooping out the ribs and seeds.
• Pour the orzo/chicken broth into a strainer set above a 3 quart baking dish so that the broth collects in the dish. Transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine.
• Fill the peppers with the orzo mixture and place in the baking dish containing the warm chicken broth. Cover the dish and bake for 45 minutes. (If using less than 6 peppers and you have leftover orzo, put it in a covered casserole dish and bake alongside).
• Remove the foil and sprinkle the top of each pepper with Parmesan cheese. Continue baking uncovered until cheese is golden, about 15 additional minutes.
• Remove from oven and carefully transfer peppers to serving dish. Garnish with extra fresh basil if desired.

Notes

Source: Adapted from La Bella Cook

You’re Gonna Bake It After All

bakeitafterall.com

Keyword gluten free, main dish, Pasta, vegetarian