Carrot & Bulgur Stuffed Peppers

A tasty go-to, perfect for getting hidden veggies into your diet in a colourful and easy way! These carrot, pea and bulgur wheat stuffed peppers are a great child-friendly vegetarian and vegan meal. Plus, it’s very affordable as it’s using carrots and peas, which are some of the cheapest plants you can buy, at just £2.89 in total, or 96p per serving. We often find “wonky” peppers in our local supermarket which make the dish even cheaper.

All you’ll need is:

• Peppers

• Carrots

• Frozen peas

• Onion

• Vegetable stock

• Bulgur wheat

• Paprika

• Tabasco or chilli flakes

• Fresh coriander

• Vegan cheese

In a pan, add the carrots, onions and stock, and cook until softened. This will create a paste to mix through your bulgur wheat once blended. Add the carrot, onion and stock mixture to a high speed blender and blitz up. This is a great time to add any additional veggies if you are trying to eat more yourself, or trying to get your kids to eat more! Options such as a handful of spinach or broccoli will be easily hidden and won’t change the taste dramatically.

Return the blended mix to the pan and add the bulgur wheat. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the bulgur wheat is tender. Now you can add in the peas, and some chilli flakes or a dash of tobasco (or your preferred hot sauce). It’s important to leave the peas until this point so they keep their lovely green colour! Part of what makes this dish so yummy is how colourful it looks, as we all eat with our eyes too! Stir through some freshly chopped coriander and season to taste.

Cut the peppers in half vertically (top to bottom). You can also cut the tops off, and stuff them that way – whichever you like! I opted for different coloured peppers, for a more vibrant dish. Remove any seeds or white pith.

On a lined baking tray, lay each half pepper down and fill generously with the bulgur wheat. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.

It tastes especially amazing, if in the last 5 minutes, you finely grate some vegan cheese to melt over the top. Serve with some additional fresh coriander, and an optional squeeze of lemon.