Pumpkin Cheddar Couscous Stuffed Peppers

A savory cheesy stuffed pepper recipe with a hint of pumpkin that celebrates late summer and autumn flavors all in one meatless recipe that can stand on its own for a light, meatless meal, alone or alongside a nice comforting bean soup. Or you can serve it as a side to your whatever main dish you’re serving. It’s flavorful, it’s hearty, it’s healthy, and it makes the best of this season’s bounty. It’s a great way to dip your toes into autumn without diving in head-first.

What? Pumpkin in stuffed peppers?

The pumpkin in this dish is subtle, but in case you didn’t know, pumpkin and aged white cheddar are the perfect savory pair! A nice earthy herb like sage (or rosemary) perfectly compliments the flavor, with subtle warmth from a hint of cinnamon and Ras El Hanout, a spice blend that literally means “best of the house”. You can purchase Ras El Hanout or make it from your own best spices with this recipe. Or you can leave it out altogether or substitute another spice blend that you like … hey, do what makes you happy.

For me, once I’d landed on the perfect blend of ingredients, I literally could not stop “sampling” the filling. But as delicious as the filling is on its own, it is even more spellbinding infused with the juices of the sweet pepper and of course you’ll want a bit of that sweet juicy pepper “shell” with … every … bite.

To me, this is the perfect way to gently transition from late summer into fall. We don’t have to go all full-on pumpkin spice everything. We can gently walk upon nature’s path, leading us slowly towards the pumpkin love, straying away from our beloved fresh garden veggies. It’s time to start heading towards the sturdier veggies that can sustain us through winter … but, hey, no need to be hasty.

What is Couscous?

Couscous is a Mediterranean version of pasta. For this recipe, I used the tiny Moroccan couscous because it has such a lovely texture and I just happened to have some leftover couscous that I’d cooked up to go with some curry that I’d made to try out my golden curry paste. If you’re a fan of the larger Israeli couscous, that should work fine as well. Even the “white” couscous that I used had a decent amount of fiber (3 g per serving) so it is actually quite healthy (for a pasta), but I am pretty sure I have seen (but cannot currently find!) whole wheat couscous with even more fiber for digestive and heart health.

You can absolutely substitute other heart-healthy grains like quinoa, brown rice, or even bulgur, although all of these come with their own unique flavor profile that definitely is not the same as the delicate tiny little couscous.

For the gluten free crowd: couscous is made with wheat so it is NOT gluten free, so if you want to make this dish for the gluten intolerant, you’ll have to make one of the substitutions suggested.

What color peppers to use?

Really, especially if you are picking your peppers from your garden, whichever bell peppers you have on hand are the best!

But if you’re purchasing peppers, the question of “which is best” depends on what’s most important to you:

• If you’re watching your budget, green peppers are generally super budget friendly, but they are less sweet than their yellow, orange or red cousins. Green bell peppers are simply yellow, orange or red bell peppers that haven’t fully ripened.
• For sweetness and health, red bell peppers are said to be both the healthiest and sweetest of them all; however, I have to disagree with that statement. I have had yellow and orange bell peppers that are just as sweet (if not moreso!) than the red ones and I’ve found at least one source that says the orange and yellow ones are just as sweet and healthy as the red ones.

I find some of the articles on bell peppers a little misleading, though. Usually I trust WebMD and I’m sure their nutrition and health advice is spot on, but I’ve got news for you, WebMD: bell peppers do NOT progress from green to yellow, then orange, then red. They progress from green to whatever color they are destined to be. The red ones go straight from green to red … there are no color stops in between. Same with yellow and orange–they start green and once they turn all yellow or orange, they’re at the pinnacle of their existence and you should go ahead and eat them.

For example: the pepper in the pictures here was perfectly ripe, sweet and juicy when I picked it.

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