Stuffed Mini Pepper "Shells"

Like stuffed shells, without the pasta! These sweet mini peppers are stuffed with an herby ricotta filling and then topped with sauce and mozzarella. As the "shells" bake, the peppers soften, the herbs infuse the ricotta and the mozzarella melts into everything. It's sublime.

I wasn't trying to make a gluten-free dish here, but I guess that's what happened! Truth is, I was planning to serve this as a side dish. Then, when I saw how gorgeous (and filling) the peppers were, I cut back on the original main dish and served two hefty "sides"!

About the mini peppers: I used the sweet mini peppers that are sold in variety bags (with orange, yellow and red peppers). You could easily do this with regular bell peppers; just fill the seeded halves. I would suggest 1/2 pepper per person.

After we finished devouring these, I had a thought - "spinach would have been a great addition!" Next time, I plan to add chopped spinach to the ricotta filling (just as I do for my stuffed pasta shells).

Stuffed Mini Pepper "Shells" 

Cooking spray
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and ground black pepper
8 sweet mini peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 cup marinara sauce of choice
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and basil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and mix well.
Spoon the mixture into pepper halves and arrange them, in a single layer, in the prepared pan. Spoon the marinara sauce over top and then top with the mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 to 7 more minutes, until the cheese melts and the peppers are soft.

Serves 4