Roasted Ricotta Stuffed Peppers

Delish is certified team stuffed peppers, from the classic with ground beef and rice to Greek-style stuffed with feta, Philly cheesesteak, and vegetarian falafel; however, I stand apart from the rest of the Test Kitchen. Hot take: I don’t like traditional stuffed peppers. What do I love? Creamy, cheesy ricotta. To turn this staple budget dinner into a vegetarian-friendly version I can get behind, I developed this roasted ricotta stuffed peppers recipe. Sautéed garlicky zucchini is folded into couscous, salty Pecorino and ricotta, and lots of mozzarella for a dinner that makes for great meal prep—I do it all the time! Zucchini peaks in early summer, making this a great recipe for cookouts or summer weeknight meals. Here are some tips on how to make these game-changing stuffed peppers.

Draining the zucchini:
Make sure to salt and drain your zucchini for about 20 minutes; simply place the zucchini in a strainer over a bowl to drain. The more time you have to drain, the better. Also, pat the zucchini dry before adding to the pan of hot oil.

Cooking the zucchini:
You want to make sure the end result is softened and lightly golden in color; you don’t want the flesh to get too mushy. You’ll also notice that they will shrink significantly when cooking, and that a lot of the liquid will evaporate when sautéing.

The couscous:
Adding dry couscous, as opposed to cooked, will absorb any excess liquid during the cooking process. Because couscous is so tiny and tender, cooking it before adding it to the pepper mixture may lead to a mushier texture.

The ricotta:
I love using a rich, dense ricotta like Liuzzi (which I used during testing). It’s smooth, thick, has a tiny curd, and reminds me of whipped ricotta. You can also check out my guide for which ricottas to use here.

Storage:
Let cool and store the stuffed peppers in an airtight container. These will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator, and you can reheat in an oven at 350°.

Make this and let me know how it went in the comments!