Festive Stuffed Summer Vegetables with Ricotta Chickpeas and Pomegranate

Festive summer vegetables baked from the oven for Christmas dinner: zucchini and bell peppers filled with a spiced ricotta and chickpea filling, pistachios and pomegranate. A vegetarian holiday dish that tastes fresh and Mediterranean with herbs and olive oil.

By yumbelo · 2 servings · 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pc Zucchini
• 2 pc red bell pepper
• 150 g ricotta
• 1 can chickpeas
• 40 g pistachios, chopped
• 30 g Parmesan, grated
• 1 pc garlic clove
• 0.5 pc lemon (zest and juice)
• 0.5 bunch parsley
• 0.5 bunch mint
• 0.5 pc pomegranate (seeds)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C, top and bottom heat.
2. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and scoop out some of the flesh with a spoon; finely chop the flesh. Halve the bell pepper, remove the seeds, and place the halves cut side up in a baking dish.
3. Brush the zucchini halves with 1 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place them cut side up next to the peppers. Pre-bake for about 15 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Finely chop the garlic. Briefly fry the chopped zucchini flesh in 1 tsp olive oil, add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
5. Take the pan off the heat. Lightly mash the chickpeas and mix with the ricotta, Parmesan, half of the pistachios, lemon zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice and the chopped herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Spread the filling over the pre-baked vegetable halves and sprinkle with the remaining pistachios.
7. Bake the vegetables in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the peppers and zucchini are soft and the filling is golden brown.
8. Scatter the pomegranate seeds over the vegetables, drizzle with a little olive oil, and serve warm.