Peppers Stuffed With Spaghetti A Real Pleaser

Take three very common ingredients, combine them in a new way and voila, a tasty new dish that’s sure to please.

Bell peppers, spaghetti with sauce and grated cheese take an inside-out turn when the spaghetti becomes the stuffing for the peppers.

This treatment was inspired by a chef in Italy who went to a good deal more effort than we’re proposing here. He roasted the whole peppers first and then peeled them. He added anchovies, bread crumbs, lots of olive oil and lots of baking time. This streamlined and calorie-trimmed version, cooked in the microwave, is ready to eat in fewer than 20 minutes.

Keep this recipe in mind when you have plenty of leftover spaghetti and sauce. The sauce can include meat or vegetables, and a basic marinara will work just fine, as well.

For the bell peppers, use whichever color you prefer. The normally pricey red and yellow bells seem to go on sale more frequently these days and have a sweeter flavor than the green bells.

Spaghetti Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 large bell peppers, color of your choice

About 6 cups leftover spaghetti and sauce (with or without meat)

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

For each bell pepper, cut one lengthwise slit from stem to bottom. Open pepper and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Place peppers in a large Pyrex pie plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 4 to 6 minutes on HIGH power, rotating after two minutes. Peppers should have softened but not collapsed.

Leave the peppers in the Pyrex plate. With the cut side up, gently squeeze each pepper to open and fill with spaghetti until full and a bit overflowing. Sprinkle the exposed spaghetti with Parmesan cheese. Repeat with each pepper.

Cover the stuffed peppers loosely with the plastic wrap and microwave again for 8 to 12 minutes, rotating after four minutes. The spaghetti should be hot in the center. Serve immediately, allowing one stuffed pepper per person.

Yield: 4 servings.