Kofta-stuffed bullhorn peppers

Stuffed roasted vegetables are a great make-ahead and reheat dinner. This is an ideal meal for those on a reduced-carb intake plan.

Kofta-stuffed bullhorn peppers Credit: Maja Smend

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

These peppers (known as Romano or bullhorn) are long, thin and sweeter than regular capsicums. 

Ingredients

• 4 large Romano (bullhorn) peppers, halved lengthways, seeds removed
• 10 ml olive oil
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 eggplant, trimmed and diced into 1cm cubes (250g)
• 250 g lamb mince
• 250 g beef mince
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 100 ml beef stock
• 70 g pine nuts
• ½ bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
• 225 g grated mozzarella, patted dry
• rocket, to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 210°C (fan 190°C/gas mark 6–7).

Lay the peppers on a baking tray in a single layer, drizzle over the olive oil and roast in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat, then add the red onion and garlic and fry for 3–4 minutes or until just soft.

Crank up the heat to maximum and add the eggplant and both types of mince. Fry the ingredients over the high heat, stirring occasionally for a few minutes, breaking up the mince with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, cumin and paprika and stir to incorporate.

Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then add the tomato puree along with the beef stock and let the mixture simmer away – you don’t want it to be too wet. After a couple of minutes, turn the heat off and stir through the pine nuts and chopped coriander.

Remove the roasted peppers from the oven. They should have collapsed a little but still be holding their shape. Carefully drain off liquid that may have been produced while roasting, then fill the cavities with the mixture. Don’t worry if the mixture falls over the side.

Slice or tear the mozzarella and arrange over the top of the mince, then slide the tray back into the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes. The mozzarella will have melted nicely by this point. Serve up with a generous helping of rocket. 

Recipe from Joe's 30-Minute Meals by Joe Wicks (Bluebird, $39.99). More from Joe Wicks.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

These peppers (known as Romano or bullhorn) are long, thin and sweeter than regular capsicums.