I awoke Monday morning with no idea of what to pack for lunch. Pickings were slim because I hadn’t gone to Trader Joe’s on Friday to do my weekly grocery, so I had to get creative. Stef and I had made a quick trip to Costco over the weekend for some essentials (hello, giant containers of toilet paper) and one of the purchases was a 6-pack of red bell peppers. Haphazardly, I threw together some stuffed bell peppers that were portable and involved very minimal prep time.
Before bed last night, I posted this on Instagram:
I awoke to find a number of people on Twitter asking for the recipe. I didn’t even think to include it because it was so simple – really just a mishmash of ingredients on hand that went well together. But, due to popular demand, I am posting it in real recipe form for those who are interested in recreating it. Feel free to add or remove anything you’d like – this is an art, not a science!
Tuna Salad Bell Pepper Cups
Serves 1Ingredients
- 1 bell pepper (I like red, but you can choose any color – although green might be a little bitter for eating raw)
- 1 can albacore tuna, drained
- 1 Tbsp. plain Greek yogurt
- 1 dill pickle, chopped (you could easily do sweet – I love the vinegar flavor this adds!)
- 1 tsp. stone ground or yellow mustard (for a nice pepper-y kick)
- 1 small tomato, diced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Cut bell pepper in half vertically (so you end up cutting through the stem) and remove seeds.
- In a separate bowl, combine tuna with yogurt, mustard, pickle, and tomato.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. I found it didn’t really need salt between the kick of the mustard and the brine from the pickle, but to each his own!
- Divide tuna salad in two and fill each bell pepper half with half of the tuna salad.
- Eat immediately or store in refrigerator.
Like I said, I packed this for lunch, so the flavors had a little bit of time to mix in the fridge and the result was a crisp, crunchy bell pepper “cup”! It transported easily in a Tupperware and none of the filling fell out (it was packed in pretty tightly). Perfect for an easy, on-the-go lunch and you can have it done in five minutes flat! The yogurt gives the salad a similar texture to mayo without all the fat which keeps this lunch extremely light, but filling. Between the yogurt and the tuna, this is a massive punch of protein and will keep you full through the afternoon.
Buon appetito!