Chickpea peperonata stuffed shells
7
Points®
Total time: 50 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 30 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
Peperonata—a classic southern Italian preparation of stewed sweet peppers—is typically made with a lot more oil than we’ve used here. We lose none of the silky texture or rich flavor, though, thanks to a long sauté and lots of fresh onion, garlic, and oregano. The pasta shells will be stuffed quite full, but if you don’t get all of the filling inside the pasta, just spoon it over the top when the shells go in the casserole dish. A little Parmesan cheese helps to flavor and bind the filling, but you can leave it out if you’d like to make this a vegan dinner.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
5 spray(s)
Uncooked jumbo shells
12 shell(s)
Olive oil
1 Tbsp
Uncooked onion
1 cup(s), chopped
Red bell pepper
1 medium, chopped
Yellow bell pepper
1 medium, chopped
Garlic
3 clove(s), minced
Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
15 oz, drained and rinsed
Fresh oregano
1 Tbsp, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup(s), regular or vegan
White balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp, divided
Kosher salt
¾ tsp, divided
Black pepper
¾ tsp, divided
No-salt-added canned tomato sauce
1 cup(s)
Unpacked brown sugar
2 tsp
Paprika
½ tsp, smoked variety
Instructions
1
Preheat oven to 375°F. In large pot of boiling water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.
2
Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high and swirl to coat pan. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and oregano and cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove chickpea filling from heat and stir in cheese, 1 tsp vinegar, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
3
In medium bowl, whisk tomato sauce, sugar, paprika, and remaining 2 tsp vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.
4
Lightly coat 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread tomato sauce in bottom of dish. Stu chickpea filling, about 3 tbsp each, into pasta shells. Arrange stued shells in baking dish. Spoon any remaining filling over tops of shells. Bake shells until filling is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
5
Serving size: 3 stuffed shells and ¼ cup sauce
People Also Like
Join the #1 doctor-recommended weight-loss program*
*Based on a 2023 survey by Cerner Enviza of 500 doctors who recommend weight-loss programs to patients.