Italian Farro Stuffed Bell Peppers

With all of the hype surrounding keto and paleo diets, I’d just like to put it out there that my plans to go on a low-carb diet are….nonexistent!

Truth be told, I love carbs & think I’d be super unhappy on a diet that cuts most of them out and makes rules on which healthy ones I can and can’t eat.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem eating low-carb meals, and I’ve created a bunch of tasty recipes for freelance work lately. But healthy carbs are my friend! Carbs provide our bodies with energy to live active lifestyles, keep our minds sharp and boost our moods. Fruits, veggies, beans, and whole grains are a big part of my diet.

I love dinners full of veggies and healthy grains. Enter today’s recipe: Italian stuffed peppers.  

This recipe is an updated, upgraded version of one that I shared on the blog a bunch of years back. It features one of my current favorite grains: farro.

Farro is a hearty ancient grain that’s a little bit nutty, a little bit earthy, and just the right amount of chewy. The internet tells me that its origins lead back to 44BC during the Roman Empire.

This recipe uses Italian pearled farro, which cooks quickly thanks to the bran having been removed. In addition to the farro, we stuff the peppers with some other ingredients that are used often in Italian dishes, including zucchini, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, Italian panko bread crumbs, and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top.

What I really like about these peppers is that in addition to being delicious, they’re low-calorie and have built-in portion control. Each stuffed pepper has just 135 calories and 7 grams of protein – along with 3 grams of fiber + 115% of daily recommended Vitamin C intake, 38% Vitamin A and 13% calcium.

So if you’re looking to have a light dinner, eating 2 pepper halves for dinner is under 300 calories and provides the body with lots of vitamins & nutrients. Winning!  

Italian Farro Stuffed Bell Peppers

Foodie Loves Fitness

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 8 pepper halves

Calories 270 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 large red bell peppers
• 1/2 cup dry Italian pearled farro
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1/2 cup Italian panko bread crumbs
• 5 oz fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 cup your favorite fresh herbs - I use basil oregano and parsley
• Juice from 1/4 lemon
• 1/4 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 TSP salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Warm the olive oil over medium low in a small pot.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook until browned.
• Add in the vegetable broth and salt, and bring it to a boil.
• Add in the farro. Lower the heat to medium low and cover, simmering for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dice the zucchini and halve the cherry tomatoes. Roughly chop the fresh herbs.
• Once the farro has been cooked for 10 minutes, add in the zucchini and herbs. Cook until all of the broth is absorbed and the farro is tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Carefully remove the stems from the peppers. Slice in half vertically and remove all of the seeds. Place them on the baking sheet, open sides up.
• Dice the mozzarella and place the cheese in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs in. Add in the farro mixture and cherry tomatoes, and squeeze the lemon juice in. Stir until evenly combined.
• Spoon the farro mixture into the pepper halves. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs on top, along with the parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the farro starts to look a bit toasted. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2gCalories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 14gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 28mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me…What’s your favorite grain? Have you ever tried a low-carb diet?