Grilling halved peppers before filling them with an aromatic meat-and-couscous mixture gives them a smoky charred edge that brings a new dimension to stuffed peppers. Make sure to use small Moroccan-style couscous—often labeled “quick-cooking” or “instant” on the packaging.
If you can’t find baharat, sometimes known as Lebanese 7-spice, you can make your own or try this 4-spice cheat: 1¼ tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander, ½ tsp. smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon.
Recipe information
Total Time
55 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a grill for medium heat; oil grate with vegetable oil. Combine ½ cup quick-cooking couscous, 1 Tbsp. baharat, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large heatproof bowl. Pour in ½ cup plus 2 tsp. boiling water. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel; let sit 5 minutes.
Step 2
Using a fork, break up couscous (it will be a little less fluffy than usual). Add 1 large shallot, finely grated, 5 garlic cloves, finely grated, 1 lb. ground beef, preferably 20% fat, ½ cup finely chopped cilantro, ½ cup finely chopped salted toasted pistachios, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper to couscous. Using your hands, gently mix to combine and set meat mixture aside.
Step 3
Arrange 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and season all over with salt and black pepper; turn to coat. Grill bell peppers, cut side down, until just starting to char, about 3 minutes. Return to baking sheet, arranging skin side down, and let cool.
Step 4
Lightly fill each bell pepper half with about ½ cup meat mixture. Arrange, skin side down, on grate. Cover and grill until bell peppers are tender and charred underneath and filling is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of filling should register at least 165°), about 20 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to a platter.
Step 5
Meanwhile, whisk 1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt or labneh, 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and remaining ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl.
Step 6
Top bell peppers with coarsely chopped salted toasted pistachios and serve with lemon yogurt on the side.
