[Recipe] Tuna Salad Bell Pepper Cups

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 1

Ingredients

• 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

1. Cut bell pepper in half vertically (so you end up cutting through the stem) and remove seeds.
2. In a separate bowl, combine tuna with yogurt, mustard, pickle, and tomato.
3. 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!
4. Divide tuna salad in two and fill each bell pepper half with half of the tuna salad.
5. 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!