Pearl barley stuffed peppers served with a tomato and green salad with pesto dressing

Mushroom & Pearl Barley Stuffed Peppers Recipe

55 Minutes
Serves: 2

These unusual Italian pearl barley stuffed peppers are packed with a creamy mushroom, onion and pearl barley orzotto instead, and topped with mascarpone cream cheese and parmesan mix. These stuffed sweet peppers without rice are served with a light tomato and green salad with pesto dressing

Recipe Ingreds

Pepper

  • 2 whole bell pepper (red)
  • 10 grams butter
  • 3 sprig fresh thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 30 grams mascarpone cheese
  • 150 grams mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 whole onions
  • 10 grams parmesan or pecorino cheese
  • 100 grams pearl barley
  • 1 cube stock cube veg
  • 700 ml water
  • 60 ml white wine
  • salt (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)

Salad

  • 0.5 whole bell pepper (yellow)
  • 100 grams cherry tomatoes
  • 0.5 whole cucumber
  • 40 grams Salad leaves

Dressing

  • black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp pesto
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • salt (to taste)
  • 2 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp tomato puree

Recipe with pictures Steps

Step 1

  • boil half the amount of water
  • take half the stock cubes and add to the boiling water and stir
  • Leave to cool
  • add pearl barley to a bowl
  • add the stock to the pearl barley and leave overnight to soak

Step 2

  • peel and chop the onion(s) finely
  • place half the chopped onions in a pan with butter and a spot of oil
  • cook the onions till soft
  • while the onions are cooking

Step 3

  • boil the remaining water
  • take the remaining stock cube and add to the boiled water and stir
  • Drain and wash the pearl barley
  • add the barley to the onions with the white wine, cook till wine has evaporated
  • add the stock to the barley
  • simmer for 15 minutes
  • cook the barley until it is soft but with a slight bite to it.
  • Add additional water if the barley is to dry
  • while the barley is cooking

Step 4

  • heat the olive oil in the frying pan
  • add the remaining onions to the frying pan
  • cook the onions till soft

Step 5

  • peel and crush the garlic using the garlic crusher or chop finely
  • add the garlic to the frying pan

Step 6

  • wash and slice the mushrooms
  • add the mushrooms to the frying pan
  • cook the mushrooms until coloured
  • finely grate the parmesan

Step 7

  • set the oven to 180C 350F or gas mark 4
  • wash and remove the thyme leaves from their stalks
  • add the thyme to the mushroom mixture
  • cook for a minute or two
  • remove from the heat

Step 8

  • when the barley is cooked drain any excess liquid
  • add the mushroom mixture to the barley
  • stir through 1/3 of the mascarpone and half the grated parmesan
  • cook for a minute or two
  • taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary

Step 9

  • cut the top of the peppers and remove the seeds
  • stuff the peppers with the barley and mushroom mixture
  • lightly coat the baking tray with oil using a pastry brush
  • place the peppers on the baking tray
  • spread half a tbsp of mascarpone onto each pepper
  • add the remaining grated parmesan and place on top of the mascarpone

Step 10

  • place the pepper lids on the tray
  • place in the oven
  • cook for 15 mins to 20 mins
  • check after 10 minutes and if the pepper lids are cooked remove and set aside

Step 11

  • wash mixed leaves and place in a serving bowl.
  • place a cross on the top of the cucumber
  • then slice the cucumber to form quarters
  • sprinkle over the salad leaves
  • wash the cherry tomatoes and then slice in half
  • sprinkle over the salad leaves
  • wash and chop the yellow pepper(s) into small pieces
  • sprinkle over the salad leaves

Step 12

  • Make the tomato dressing by mixing together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic (crushed) tomato puree, pesto, sugar, salt and pepper. Add a little extra sugar if it is to tart
  • add the tomato dressing to the salad

Step 13

  • remove the peppers from the oven
  • place on a serving plate

Step 14

  • serve with salad

Recipe Utensils

  • 1 baking tray
  • 2 chopping board
  • 1 frying pan
  • 2 Garlic crusher
  • 1 grater
  • 1 jug
  • 2 large knife
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 medium pan
  • 1 sieve
  • 1 small bowl
More recipes you might like: Healthy, Vegetarian, Vegetable dinner ideas, Cheap dinner Ideas

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How to make pearl barley stuffed peppers

Oven roasted peppers stuffed with a deliciously creamy barley risotto and topped with a mixture of parmesan and mascarpone cheese.

Our pearl barley risotto is cooked slightly differently to traditional risotto. The pearl barley is soaked overnight and then cooked till soft with a little onion. The mushrooms are caramelised separately with onions, garlic and thyme. The barley and mushroom mixtures are combined with mascarpone and parmesan to make a delicious stuffed pepper filling.  The risotto mixture is packed into the peppers and topped with mascarpone and parmesan and baked in the oven till the peppers are soft and the cheese is golden brown.

Make stuffed roasted peppers for dinner tonight

These peppers are the perfect all year round meal idea and are delicious in both summer and winter, they also make the perfect veggie dinner party main course. We serve the peppers with a tomato and green salad with a herby pesto dressing to compliment the Italian flavours in the orzotto stuffing, making the perfect meal.

What makes our vegetarian stuffed peppers the best

The orzotto risotto stuffing is the star of this dish, the nutty taste of the pearl barley and umami mushroom combined with the mascarpone and parmesan cheese makes the perfect stuffed bell pepper. 

Veggie dinner party main course

We think these barley stuffed peppers make a delicious main for any veggie dinner party, we would serve them with our butter bean and celeriac soup for the starter and our pear, chocolate and frangipan strudel for dessert.

What is orzotto

Orzotto originates from the north east of Italy It is a risotto made with pearl barley instead of risotto rice. Pearl barley is traditionally used in the UK in stews and soups, but with the correct preparation it makes a sensational nutty risotto.

Other stuffed vegetable recipes

Indian Stuffed Mushroom with ricotta and peas


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