Simmer the following for about half an hour or until tender:
- 3/4 cup lentils (I used French lentils - smaller in size, dark brown with bluish flecks
- 3/4 cup bulgur
- 3 1/2 to 4 cups vegetable broth
Meanwhile, sautee in olive oil in a medium skillet:
- 1 large onion, chopped pretty small
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
When they're mostly cooked, add:
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 t brown sugar
- salt and red pepper, to taste
Let the sauce simmer and cut 4-6 bell peppers in half (any color works great - green is least expensive, but red, yellow, and orange are prettier, tastier, and possibly even more nutrient-rich), removing the stems and seeds.
Combine cooked lentils/bulgur with tomato sauce in a large mixing bowl and add:
- A little less than 8 oz Parmesan cheese - use the rest to sprinkle on the top at the end
- 1 T onion powder
- A slosh of Tabasco or other hot sauce
- Another clove of crushed garlic
- 2 t Worcestershire sauce (not technically vegetarian, here's a recipe for a veg alternative* that I've never tried)
Taste it and add any of the following if you think it needs it:
- red pepper flakes
- salt
- onion or garlic powder
- more Worcestershire sauce
Finally, add 1 egg to the mixture, spoon into the pepper halves, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, place in a shallow pan with ~1 cm of water and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees.
*Although apparently had I simply googled "vegetarian Worcestershire sauce" and I would have found this, which I'll have to prepare to have on hand next time, though I don't use Worcestershire sauce too too much... I have no idea how long that homemade stuff would last.
