Orzo Stuffed Peppers by Heather

I've been making a lot of stuffed veggie recipes this fall.  Most stuffed veggie recipes are warm and hearty, and even if they are covered in cheese, well, you're still eating your vegetables!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mint, chiffonade
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano, plus 1/4 cup
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini (or two medium) grated with a box grater
1/4 cup olive oil
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup basil, chiffonade
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
6 bell peppers (choose a few colors like red, orange, and yellow)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the mint, 1/2 cup of Pecorino, garlic, zucchini, olive oil, and crushed tomatoes in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.



Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium sauce pan, then cook the orzo for 4 minutes.  When you drain the pasta, reserve the chicken broth in a bowl.  Add the orzo to the zucchini/tomato mixture.

To prepare the peppers, cut off the tops, remove the seeds and any white ribbing on the inside, then slice a small portion of the pepper at the bottom so that it stands upright.  Place the peppers in a baking dish.



Fill each pepper with the orzo mixture, then pour the reserved chicken broth around the peppers (this will help steam the peppers and make them soft) cover with foil, and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil from the baking dish, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top of the peppers, and cook for another 15 minutes, until cheese is brown. Top each pepper with shredded basil, and serve!