Bulgur Pilaf With Broccoli and Peppers

ladypit's Note:

I have recently started the WW Core program which emphasizes whole grains, produce, and a little bit of good oil. Around the same time I started I also re-found a lovely little cookbook that a friend gave me a few years ago called "One Pot Vegetarian Dishes" by Amy Cotler. This pilaf is a modification of a recipe from that book. It needs a little salt and pepper but is a nice main dish or side dish depending on your eating style. The original recipe says it can be served either warm or cold though I have only tried it warm. And the original recipe called for red pepper. As I only had frozen green pepper that is what I used, but feel free to change it.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 cup broccoli floret, cut small
• 1 onion, chopped (use a small onion)
• 2/3 cup frozen green bell peppers or 1 fresh green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup canned tomato
• 1 cup bulgur
• 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• dried oregano (optional)
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup hot water

Directions:

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to boil over high heat.
2. Add the broccoli and cook until it is crip tender but still green, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Drain the broccoli and rinse it briefly under cold water.
4. Using the same pan, add the oil.
5. Then add the onion, garlic, pepper, and oregano if using.
6. (Just use about 1/4 tsp.) Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is translucent which is about 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes, bulgur, water, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.
9. Cover it and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.
10. Start checking at 10 minutes but it may take up to 15.
11. Turn off the heat and add the broccoli and the black beans.
12. Cover the pan and let it sit until the bulgur is tender but still slightly firm.
13. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.

Reviews

[VegHed]

Very good! I used a frozen stir fry veg mix and threw in some fresh spinach. Used rotel because that's what I had on hand. Definitely going to make this again!

[Laura_Roxane]

Wow! Great stuff!! I'm not a fan of whole wheat pasta or brown rice, so was skeptical about making bulgur; so glad I tried this recipe. Not "whole wheaty" or dry tasting. Moist with great flavor; my new favorite, healthy comfort food. Used about 6 tsp of olive oil (instead of 1/2 Tbsp) in order to get healthy oil in each serving. Used a yellow bell pepper instead of green. Chopped the onion and bell pepper into fairly small little pieces. Used 1 cup of drained canned tomatoes flavored with oregano, basil, and garlic. Also added 1 Tbsp. fresh, minced oregano. Used the broccoli from a bag of microwaved steamed broccoli (I steamed it in the microwave, then chopped it into really small bits, just before adding it into the pilaf.) NOTE: I used a bit more water (maybe 1/4 cup) after adding the tomatoes/bulgur/water/salt/pepper, while it was cooking over low heat (somewhere between steps 8 and 9).

[tamalita62]

Delicious! We love bulgur and always look for good recipes. This was so simple, yet so healthy and it looked good also! I used diced tomatoes with green chiles, because it's what I had. I also used a stock in place of the water. We used it as a main dish, but it could definitely be served as a side dish. Thank you!