Stuffed Anaheim Peppers with Feta and Quark
Whole Anaheim peppers filled with feta, low-fat quark, herbs and pine nuts, baked with breadcrumbs for a starter or a main course with a side.
These stuffed Anaheim peppers have a feta and quark filling with pine nuts, fresh herbs and lemon zest. Baked whole with a breadcrumb topping, they make a vegetarian main with potatoes or a lentil salad, or a starter served two per person.
Anaheim peppers are relatively large and mild, typically measuring 500–2,500 on the Scoville scale. Their size makes them a good choice for stuffing with cheese and baking, and as they are quite mild, they are suitable for eating as a whole pepper.
Stuffed Anaheim Peppers Ingredients
Anaheim peppers: Their size makes them suitable for stuffing whole. Heat varies between peppers, though they are generally on the mild side and can be eaten by even the most spice-averse. Although it must be noted that heat varies between all peppers and occasionally one will grow that packs more of a punch than the norm.
Low-fat quark and feta: Quark forms the base of the filling, while feta adds its distinctive salty flavour. Choose feta labelled suitable for vegetarians.
Milk: Loosens the cheese mixture so it is easier to spoon into the peppers.
Pine nuts: Add a nutty element to the cheese filling.
Breadcrumbs: Used in both the filling and the topping, which turns lightly golden in the oven.
Garlic, herbs and lemon zest: Garlic, dill and oregano flavour the filling, with lemon zest adding a citrus note.
Olive oil: Used for the tin, breadcrumb topping and pepper skins.
Black pepper and salt: Season the filling alongside the feta.
How to Make Stuffed Anaheim Peppers with Feta
Slit and hollow the peppers
Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Lightly grease a metal tin approximately 25 × 20 cm, using a little olive oil.
Make a lengthways slit in each pepper, stopping short of the stalk and tip. Cut through the upper wall only, leaving the underside intact.
Gently open the slit and remove the seeds and pale inner ribs. Work through the opening without pulling the pepper apart. Note that most of the seeds are contained near the stem.
A good way to get rid of everything is to work a finger in the pepper to loosen all the seeds and then lightly tap it on the side with the slit facing down.
Prepare the Garlic, Herbs and Pine Nuts
Crush the garlic with a little salt and chop the dill and parsley. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan, stirring often, until lightly golden. Transfer to a plate to cool, then roughly chop.
Mix the filling
Use a fork to combine the quark and feta, then stir in the crushed garlic, dill, oregano, lemon zest and 10 g breadcrumbs. Fold in the lightly toasted, roughly chopped pine nuts.
Stir in a table spoon of milk at a time to loosen the mixture. The filling should be spoonable but still hold together, rather than pour out of the opening.
Add black pepper, taste and add salt as needed.
Stuff and top the peppers
Use a teaspoon to put the filling through each slit, gently working it along the inside of the pepper. Share the mixture between all six. This can get a bit messy so if the pepper gets a lot of filling on it, be sure to clean it afterwards so it doesn’t burn.
Arrange the peppers slit-side up in the prepared tin. Mix the remaining 10 g breadcrumbs with a little of the measured olive oil and sprinkle over the exposed filling. Use the rest of the oil to lightly coat the pepper skins.
Bake until tender
Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes.
Check the pepper flesh as well as the topping: it should be tender when gently pierced with a small knife, and the breadcrumbs should be golden.
More Chilli Recipes
Stuffed Anaheim Peppers with Feta and Quark
Ingredients
- 6 medium Anaheim peppers
- 200 g low-fat quark
- 100 g vegetarian feta
- 15 g pine nuts lightly toasted and roughly chopped
- 20 g breadcrumbs divided: 10 g for the filling and 10 g for the topping
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1 tbsp chopped dill plus a little extra for serving
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 2 tbsp milk to loosen the filling
- Black pepper to taste
- Salt as needed after tasting
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided between the tin, topping and pepper skins
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 180°C fan / 200°C conventional. Lightly grease a metal tin approximately 25 × 20 cm, using some of the tablespoon of olive oil.
- Cut a lengthways slit in each pepper, keeping the stalk, tip and underside attached. Gently open the slit and remove the seeds and pale inner ribs.
- Mix the quark, feta, garlic, dill, oregano, lemon zest and 10 g breadcrumbs with a fork. Fold in the chopped toasted pine nuts.
- Stir in 2 tbsp milk to loosen the filling. Add black pepper, taste and add salt as needed.
- Spoon the filling into the peppers with a teaspoon, distributing it between all six. Arrange them slit-side up in the tin.
- Mix the remaining 10 g breadcrumbs with a little of the measured olive oil. Sprinkle over the filling and lightly coat the pepper skins with the remaining oil.
- Bake for the advised 30–40 minutes, until the peppers are tender when gently pierced and the topping is golden. [confirm actual oven setting and baking time used]
- Scatter with a little extra dill and serve.
Notes
Storage
As general leftover guidance, cool the cooked peppers and refrigerate them in a covered container within two hours. Eat within 48 hours; if reheating, heat until steaming hot throughout. This is general food-safety guidance rather than a tested claim about how the filling and topping keep. Notes This was made with low fat quark to keep the calories down and the protein content higher. Ricotta could be used as a replacement but would dramatically increase calories. The mixture would be creamier and would not need thinning with milk.Stuffed Anaheim Pepper FAQs
Make one slit along the upper side, leaving the stalk, tip and underside intact. Gently spread the opening and remove the seeds and pale ribs through it. Avoid extending the cut right to either end.
Remove the pale inner ribs as well as the seeds. This can reduce some of the heat, but it will not make a hot pepper reliably mild. The heat of this finished batch has not been described, so there is no tested mildness claim for the recipe.
Quark is a fresh cheese used here as the base of the filling. This batch used low-fat quark with two tablespoons of milk. Ricotta would work well but add far more calories. The mixture would be creamier and not need added milk to thin the consistency
