Hi friends!
How was your weekend? Did you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day? I was flying cross-country all day Friday on the actual holiday, but I had a chance to celebrate the Irish holiday yesterday with my parents. I’m in Jersey this week visiting family, and went to a winery yesterday with my parents that had a live Irish band playing. It made me want to be back in Ireland hanging out at pubs with my family!
So, let’s dive into the real topic at hand today: Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers – an easy Meatless Monday dinner idea!
I’ve always been a fan of stuffed peppers, and for this recipe, I wanted to do something different in terms of grains. I usually will use brown rice for stuffed peppers, but this time I decided to try barley instead and loved it.
I like to make a nice sized pot of grains at the beginning of the week to use for a few different meals, so this time, I cooked up some barley and used some for this recipe, then some another night with veggie burgers and sautéed zucchini.
You can always swap out the barley for whatever other grain you feel like – such as farro, cous cous, or rice for a gluten free option.
These peppers take a Mediterranean twist with the inclusion of crumbled feta, red onion, artichoke hearts, avocado, red onion and portobello mushroom. I always love making meals Mediterranean-style because the ingredients commonly used in this type of fare are so healthy and flavorful!
This recipe is great for dinner, as well as for leftovers that you can easily take with you to work or reheat up quick for lunch. Last week I sent my hubby to work with these one day. It’s great for a light meal, as two pepper halves contain 325 calories, 13 grams of fat, 11 grams of protein, and 44 grams of carbs – as well as 9 grams of fiber!
If you prep the barley ahead of time – which really just involves boiling water with barley and leaving it alone to simmer for a bit – this recipe takes about 25 minutes to put together from start to finish. Dinner in under 30 minutes flat is the kind of recipe I make most often during the weeknights!
Tell me… How long does dinner typically take you to make? How many nights a week do you usually cook at home?
Mediterranean Barley Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers
- 1 1/2 cups cooked barley
- 1 cup portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese with Mediterranean herbs about 2.5 oz
- 2 TBSP fresh parsley
- 1/4 red onion
- 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 1/4 TSP salt
- 2 TSP extra virgin olive oil
- Dash of ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet or baking pan with cooking spray.
- Halve the peppers longways, then remove the cores and seeds. Place on the baking sheet
- Chop the portobello mushroom, red onion, artichoke hearts, avocado and parsley. Combine in a bowl.
- Add in the cooked barley and crumbled feta. Drizzle the olive oil in, and seasons with salt and pepper. Mix to combine well.
- Spoon the mixture into the pepper halves. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the peppers seem tender.
What a healthy and tasty looking dish! I’ve never made stuffed peppers before, so I’ll have to give this a try.
You really should try making stuffed peppers! They’re awesome and you can customize them to your liking with your favorite veggies, cheese, etc.
I’ve never made barely before but this recipe makes it look so good! Also–I found a vegan herbed feta recipe so this sounds like the perfect dish to try it out on!
Thanks Rachel! Oooh that sounds interesting! I actually just bought Daiya shredded cheese to try on some stuff. I normally don’t buy vegan cheese but I liked Daiya products at Expo West so I figured I’d experiment more with it at home!
Love this idea! Barley is such a delicious grain and such a twist on rice!
Agreed! I eat a lot of rice, so it’s nice to switch it up with other grains like barley sometimes.
I adore stuffed peppers and Mediterranean flavors! Barley is so hearty so these look like they would stick to your ribs.
For sure! It really is hearty, and I love that. Keeps my belly nice & full!
Oh man, I love using barley! It’s such a delicious grain. 🙂 And I also love stuffed peppers…not only do they look awesome, but they taste great, too. So I have to say that I’m loving your Mediterranean twist on these peppers…you can never have enough feta cheese. Never! Hope you are enjoying the time with your family! 🙂
I’m with you, stuffed peppers rock! Thanks David!
I loveee barley but have sort of forgotten about it lately! Thank you for the reminder! 🙂 These stuffed peppers sound perfect! I hope you have a great time in NJ!!
I know what you mean, sometimes I forget about barley for awhile too. Same thing with farro. But then I randomly see them at the store and inspiration strikes!
These peppers look amazing! Barley and mushrooms with Mediterranean flavors sounds like a dream come true. Yum!
I hope you are having a nice time in Jersey!
Thanks lady! Sometimes I forget how easy it is to throw portobello mushrooms into dishes like this, but then when I remember, I always love it.