Millet Falafel Stuffed Peppers in Spicy Tomato Sauce

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Can one ever really have too many falafel recipes? Apparently not, as far as I’m concerned. It’s also looking like I’ll never get tired of stuffing falafel-esque things into stuffable veggies. I hope you’re game!

This is one of those recipes that I thought would be great, but ended up turning out not exactly as I expected, but also a billion times better. That happens every so often. I’ll get started with an expectation and veer off in a totally different direction when I spy something in the pantry that needs a little love. This time around, I initially expected to stuff some peppers with basic falafel and top it with standard tahini sauce. I’m sure that would’ve been nice, but once I started cooking I got inspired to whip up a quick spicy tomato sauce to use in combination with the tahini drizzle. I was really happy with this decision, even if it did take the dish somewhere totally unanticipated. My stuffed peppers ended up being super cozy and comforting, and took on more of a Greek cuisine feel, though I’m definitely not claiming these as authentic anything.

My other diversion from the original plan was to add in some millet. Falafel is great, and while stuffing peppers with falafel is a great idea, I got to cooking and started to think a great mass of never-ending falafel in the middle of a pepper might be a bit much to navigate through. I wanted some texture to break things up. That’s where the millet came in. I had success in the past with quinoa falafel, so I thought it was time to give millet a try, and fortunately I had a big old bag of millet on hand, which Bob’s Red Mill was nice enough to supply me with.

Millet falafel turned out to be the perfect stuffing for my peppers. It added just the right amount of texture to make things interesting, was super easy to prepare, and resulted in a dish that’s fully doable for all of my gluten-free readers. My local supermarket carries millet, so there’s a good chance yours does too. If not, you can get some online, directly from Bob’s Red Mill.

P.S. These little guys are perfect for holiday celebrations. They’re cute, delicious and totally festive.

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Millet Falafel Stuffed Peppers in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Can falafel possibly get better? Yup, if you stuff it in a pepper and serve it up with some saucy goodness! These sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a blend of hearty millet and chickpea falafel and roasted up till tender in a bath of spicy tomato sauce. CourseEntree CuisineAmerican, Mediterranean Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 50 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 4 Calories 380 kcal Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Spicy Tomato Sauce

1-14oz.can crushed tomatoes
2garlic cloves,minced
1tbsp.maple syrup or agave
2tsp.red pepper flakes,or to taste
salt and pepper to taste

For the Millet Falafel Stuffed Peppers

½cuphulled millet
1cupwater or vegetable broth
1 ¾cupcooked chickpeas,or 1-14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1small onion,quartered
2garlic cloves,minced
¼cupfresh cilantro,lightly packed
2tbsp.fresh parsley,lightly packed
2tbsp.lemon juice
2tsp.ground cumin
½tsp.ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
4bell peppers,any color
1tsp.olive oil,omit for oil-free diets

For the Tahini Sauce

2tbsp.tahini
1tbsp.lemon juice
salt to taste
2-4tbsp.water

Instructions

Make the Spicy Tomato Sauce

Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the Millet Falafel Stuffed Peppers

Place millet and water or broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir a few times, lower heat to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Place cooked millet into food processor bowl with chickpeas, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped and well blended, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
Use a small knife to cut the top off of each pepper. Scoop out seeds and rub lightly with olive oil. Arrange peppers in a small baking dish or oven-safe skillet. Stuff peppers with falafel mixture and replace tops. Spoon sauce around peppers.
Bake until peppers are tender and skin begins to blister, about 30 minutes.

Make the Falafel Sauce

While Peppers bake, stir all falafel sauce ingredients together in a small bowl, thinning with as much water as needed.

Serve

Place each pepper on a plate. Remove top and and spoon a dollop of sauce overtop, followed by a drizzle of tahini sauce. Replace top and serve.

Recipe Notes

Choose bell peppers that are nice and flat on the bottom, so they stand up during roasting.

Nutrition FactsMillet Falafel Stuffed Peppers in Spicy Tomato SauceAmount Per Serving (1 pepper)Calories 380Calories from Fat 75% Daily Value*Fat 8.3g13%Saturated Fat 1.2g6%Sodium 1091mg45%Potassium 590mg17%Carbohydrates 66.5g22%Fiber 12.9g52%Sugar 15.7g17%Protein 13.4g27%Calcium 120mg12%Iron 5.8mg32%* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.« Sweet Potato & Brussels Sprout Stir-Fry with Smoky Black Pepper TempehRoasted Eggplant Sandwiches + Healthy Packed Lunch Ideas »

Millet Falafel Stuffed Peppers in Spicy Tomato Sauce