Orzo Stuffed Mini Peppers

The kids are off in dreamland so it's time for me to get busy in the kitchen! I bought some mini peppers the other day that I've wanted to experiment with. I love the sweet crunch and ease of snacking I get from the mini's! They are easily one of my favorite vegetables! So, for me, what could be more glorious than stuffing one of my favorite veggies with one of my favorite pastas?? You know when you are imagining in your mind the way you want something to taste? Well I began throwing a few simple and not too fussy ingredients together and BAM! Perfect harmony! These little sweeties would be another perfect popper passed around before the big holiday meal!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large glass pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Ingredients for orzo stuffing:

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1 1/2 cups (6 oz bag) grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup italian bread crumbs

2 teaspoons italian seasoning such as Morton and Bassett

salt to taste if necessary

Directions:

Bring the 3 cups stock to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook for 9 minutes. While pasta is cooking, rinse, dry and cut the tops off of roughly 25 mini peppers. Remove the seeds. Reserve the tops, stems intact. Using a strainer with a bowl underneath, drain the chicken stock off of the orzo into the bowl. Put the strained orzo into a larger bowl to cool for about 10 minutes. Pour the saved chicken stock back over the orzo. Add the grated parmesan, bread crumbs and italian seasoning into the orzo and mix thoroughly. Taste the mixture to see if salt is needed. Using a small spoon, stuff some of the orzo mixture to over flowing in each pepper. Lay the stuffed peppers in your prepared glass dish and replace the tops to add a nice finished look. Cover the pan with tinfoil and put in your oven for 30 minutes. Take em' out of the oven and enjoy! I promise, you will not be able to eat just one!!

images by Kara