Roasted Romano peppers stuffed with pork mince and wild rice

Romano peppers, also known as Italian frying peppers, are sweet and mild peppers with a tapered shape and elongated body. They are a popular ingredient in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. You can use them in salads, sauces, and as a stuffing for various dishes. Or, you can stuff them! Try this roasted Romano peppers stuffed with pork mince and wild rice for an easy, healthy midweek meal.

If you’re looking for a vegetarian option instead, just leave out the pork mince!

The origins of stuffed peppers can be traced back to the Middle East, where they were first filled with spiced meats and grains. Over time, the recipe spread throughout the Mediterranean region, with each country adding their own unique twists to the dish.

Roasted Romano peppers make for an easy midweek meal

This roasted Romano peppers stuffed with pork mince and wild rise dish is perfect for an easy, healthy midweek meal. The peppers have a sweet, delicate flavour, and the stuffing mix has a lovely, savoury flavour. It combines pork mince and tomatoes, in a base of celery, onion, and garlic. Ground coriander adds an earthy depth, and paprika and cayenne pepper add a little heat.

The wild rice adds texture, and makes the meal a little more substantial. You can use plain rice, but wild rice adds extra bite and has a more complex and deep flavour.

Begin by brushing the peppers with oil and part roasting them, until they start to soften. Then, dollop in the stuffing mixture, and roast the peppers until the skin starts to blacken, and the top of the stuffing mix turns crunchy.

Serve with salad, couscous, or grains

You can serve this dish on its own, but for best results serve it accompanied by a side salad, grains, or couscous. A fresh green salad with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a lemon and olive oil or vinaigrette dressing is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the peppers. Alternatively, couscous mixed with chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice makes a light and fluffy side dish that perfectly complements the flavours of the peppers.

This dish is versatile enough to be served with a range of sides, from simple salads to hearty grains. Whether you’re looking for a quick and easy meal or a tasty way to use up leftover ingredients, this recipe is sure to become a firm favourite.

Shared with: #recipeoftheweek

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Roasted Romano peppers stuffed with pork mince and wild rice

Roasted, sweet romano peppers stuffed with a softly spiced, pork mince, wild rice and tomato filling. Perfect for a mid week meal.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Modern/Fusion

Keyword Pork mince, Romano peppers, Wild rice

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 500kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 500 g pork mince lean
• 250 g wild rice cooked
• 6 red romano peppers halved and deseeded
• 1 onions finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 stick celery finely chopped
• 1 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• fresh coriander to garnish
• sea salt to season
• black pepper to season

Instructions

• cook off the wild rice
• heat your oven and a shallow roasting tray to 180C gas mark 4
• in a large saucepan, heat half the olive oil and fry the onion, celery and garlic for around 2 – 3 minutes until the onion is soft and turning translucent
• add the pork mince and fry for a further 3 – 4 minutes, until the pork begins to brown
• add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, ground coriander. paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes
  
• add the wild rice and stir in, then set aside
• while the saucepan of pork mince is simmering, prepare your romano peppers by carefully halving, de-seeding and removing the pith
  
• place face-down on the baking tray and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Brush or rub in so the peppers are well-covered, then roast for 10 minutes
  
• remove the peppers from the oven, leave to cool for a minute or two (until they’re safe to carefully handle), then turn them over
• carefully scoop the pork mince and rice mixture into the peppers and place them in the centre of your oven for around 20 minutes, until they are well-cooked and beginning to blacken, and the the surface of the pork mince/rice mixture is beginning to form a crust
  
• garnish with fresh coriander and serve, with rice, couscous or salad