Name: Spiced pepper pilafs
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves crushed; 1cm piece ginger finely chopped; 1 tsp tomato purée; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp garam masala; 200g basmati rice; 850ml vegetable stock; 140g red lentils washed and drained; 200g bag spinach leaves, chopped; handful mint leaves, chopped; 8 peppers

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Spiced pepper pilafs

Spiced pepper pilafs

Good Food team

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Serves 8

Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 50 mins

A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.14 ratingsRate

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This colourful vegetarian supper is superhealthy and freezable in individual portions, so you can defrost as many as you need

Freezable

Healthy

Vegetarian

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Alternatives

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Rice pudding with raisin & cinnamon syrup

A star rating of 4.7 out of 5.14 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion

finely chopped
2 garlic cloves

crushed
1cm piece ginger

finely chopped
1 tsp tomato purée
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
200g basmati rice
850ml vegetable stock
140g red lentils

washed and drained
200g bag spinach

leaves, chopped
handful mint

leaves, chopped
8 peppers

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal209
fat2g
saturates1g
carbs39g
sugars8g
fibre4g
protein8g
salt0.38g

low

Method

step 1

Heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, then gently cook for 5 mins until softened. Stir in the tomato purée and spices, and cook for 1 min more. Add the rice, stir to coat, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, tip in the lentils, cover with the lid and leave to cook over a low heat for 15 mins, until the lentils and rice are cooked. Stir through the spinach and mint (see tip below, if freezing).
step 2

Use a sharp knife to slice the top off each pepper. Cut out the middle stalk and scoop out any seeds. Carefully trim the bottoms slightly so they stand upright, but the filling won't fall out. Fill each pepper with the rice mix and place the lid on top. Bake or wrap tightly in cling film or freezer bags and freeze.
step 3

To cook, defrost peppers completely if frozen. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the peppers on a lightly greased baking tray and cook for 25-30 mins or until the peppers have softened. Serve with a green salad tossed with cucumber, herbs and a dollop of yogurt.

RECIPE TIPS

FREEZING RICE

To safely freeze rice, make sure you cool the cooked rice as quickly as possible – spread it out on a tray and leave for no longer than 1 hr. Then fill the peppers and freeze straight away. You should only reheat the rice once after defrosting.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2011

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A star rating of 4.3 out of 5.14 ratings

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