When my dad became a vegetarian in my ninth grade year, my mom did what she always does — she adapted. Without skipping a beat she found ways to recreate the flavors we grew up with, the warmth, the spices, the slow cooked depth, without the meat. One of her tricks was yellow split peas. She would tuck them into yaprakis, our family’s stuffed grape leaves, where they absorbed all the flavors around them and added a creamy, earthy richness that made you forget anything was missing.
These Persian-Inspired Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers are my own version of that same instinct. I developed this recipe for the Nine Days, the period on the Jewish calendar when many Jews refrain from eating meat, but honestly they’re too good to save for one week a year. The filling is fragrant with warm spices, brightened with pomegranate molasses and silan, and hearty enough to feel like a real meal. My mom would approve.
Persian-Inspired Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- ¾ cup yellow split peas
- ¾ cup short grain white rice such as sushi rice or Arborio
- 5 large bell peppers red, yellow, orange or a mix
- ¼ cup avocado oil plus 2 tbsp
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 4-5 mint sprigs finely chopped
- 4-5 tarragon sprigs finely chopped
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup silan
- ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
- 1 lemon juiced
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse split peas and bring to a boil in a pot of water. Reduce and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, season with salt and set aside.
- Rinse rice in cold water and par boil in a pot of salted water for about 10 minutes. It shouldn't be fully cooked, just softened. It will cook longer in the oven. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare bell peppers by cutting them in half through the core, removing interior seeds and seasoning with salt. Lay them cut side up in a large high sided 16x10in pan. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp of avocado oil in a large skillet on medium low heat. Add onion and cook stirring often until golden, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and curry powder and cook another 1-2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Place onion mixture in a large bowl. Add in par cooked split peas and rice, then add all the herbs, tomato, tomato sauce, silan, pomegranate molasses and lemon juice. Season very generously with salt and toss until everything is well distributed.
- Fill all the pepper halves with rice and split pea mixture. Pour about ¼ cup of water into the base of the pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove foil covering and continue to bake an additional 20 minutes uncovered. Serve warm with a great salad.