Couscous Stuffed Peppers with Feta and Apricots

 I'm sure you see recipes for stuffed peppers all the time and overlook them. Don't miss this one. It's easy and cheesy in just the right way. The couscous gives it a fluffiness and the apricots add a nice sweetness. I have thought about trying it with ground turkey instead of beef to healthy it up a little, but it's so good I hate to mess with it. The original comes from one of my very first Real Simple magazines, I really only tweaked portions to make things easier. While this is easy for a weeknight meal, make sure you plan ahead, because the peppers need to bake for a while.

Stuffed Peppers with Couscous Feta and Apricots

 

• 4 bell peppers (I do orange yellow and green, be sure you pick ones with flat bottoms)
• 1 lb ground beef (you really need a little less than a pound but most beef comes in a pound package)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous (I sometimes do the garlic flavored one)
• 4 sliced scallions
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Mix the beef, couscous, scallions, feta, and apricots. Season with a little more salt and pepper.
4. Cut tops off peppers and clean them out.
5. Stuff meat mixture into peppers and bake for 30-45 minutes.

**This is a 3 on Bryce's dish scale. You have lots to cook in separate pans so it adds up.
**Makes 4 servings. One pepper is plenty for a full meal.