Couscous casserole with grilled peppers

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 4 bell peppers, red
• 1 ½ cup(s) couscous, instant, precooked
• 4 tsp vegetable stock powder
• 1 onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tomatoes
• 400 g tomatoes, chopped (can)
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• Cayenne pepper
• herb salt and pepper
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• basil, fresh
• Oregano, fresh
• Sage, fresh
• 200 g Parmesan or Grana Padano, freshly grated

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

Cut the peppers into sixths, deseed and wash them, and place them cut-side down on a baking sheet on the top rack of the oven. Grill the peppers at the highest grill setting until they are soft and the skin is browning (approx. 12 minutes, depending on the oven). Soak the couscous in three cups of water and three teaspoons of vegetable stock powder until all the liquid is absorbed. Finely chop the onion, press the garlic, and fry them in a pan with olive oil over high heat until crispy. Dice the tomatoes and add them. Add the diced canned tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder, cayenne pepper, herb salt, pepper, soy sauce, basil, oregano, and sage to the pan and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes. Place the couscous in a baking dish. Pour the sauce over it (do not stir it in!). Place the grilled peppers on top. Sprinkle the peppers with freshly grated cheese. Be careful—the couscous absorbs a lot of liquid and flavor. So don’t be too sparing with the sauce; you might need quite a bit. Place the casserole in a preheated oven at 200°C (top/bottom heat) and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is crispy.