Ricotta and herb stuffed Romano peppers

Romano peppers are a bit more expensive than regular peppers, so it’s nice to do something really special with them. This delicious stuffed pepper recipe also brings out their vibrant colour and beautifully contrasts it agains the creamy white ricotta and the bright green fresh herbs. We literally eat with our eyes first – just seeing beautiful food pings our digestive system into the ready!

This is so simple but impressive. Serve it on its own with some crusty bread and salad or have with wholegrain rice or potatoes. So versatile.

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

2 large Romano peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
250g of ricotta cheese
Handful of fresh herbs – I used mint and basil
Sea salt
Course-ground black pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Optional – half a leek finely chopped

Instructions

Heat the oven to 160 degrees fan or 180 regular

Place the peppers in their entirety on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins until softened but not black.

Mean time, if using leeks fry them very gently in olive oil without letting them brown.

Carefully slit down the length of each pepper and gently scoop out the bunch of seeds that live near the top with a teaspoon, discard.

If using leeks layer them across the bottom of each pepper, inside.

Now stuff the peppers with ricotta – half in each. Pop them back in the oven for five minutes.

Season with sea salt and black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon, then scatter over the fresh herbs.

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Nutrition Info

Ricotta cheese

Ricotta cheese is a great source of calcium and vitamin B12 as well as iodine for healthy thyroid function. It is also a fermented food so provides some probiotic cultures for gut health.

Peppers

Peppers have a wide diversity of nutrients and are generally quite overlooked in favour of more trendy veg such as avocados and kale.

They are a rich source of vitamin C. One pepper has more vitamin C than an orange! C is traditionally thought of as a vitamin that wards off colds but it does much more than that. It helps us to absorb iron, supports health skin and tissue, plays a part in a healthy nervous system, helps to produce energy and yes, supports immunity. They have excellent amounts vitamin A for eye health and anti-inflammation as well as vitamin B6 for brain and nerve health and efficient metabolism.

They also contain a number of other B vitamins, including B1, B2, vitamin B3, folate, and pantothenic acid, as well as vitamin E (fights free radical damage that can harm cells), K, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, molybdenum, and fibre. An extraordinary range of goodness.

When cheese has its picture taken what does it say?