Filled with tangy feta and a handful of sweet tiny tomatoes, red bell peppers take on a Mediterranean twist. You can also try other varieties of small tomatoes such as grape, currant, or even yellow pear in the filling.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 small red bell peppers (5 to 6 ounces each), halved lengthwise through stem, seeds and ribs removed

　　1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes (about 6 ounces)

　　1 1/2 ounces feta cheese (preferably goat’s milk), crumbled

　　1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh thyme

　　8 basil leaves, torn into pieces

　　Freshly ground pepper

　　1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F, with the rack in the top third. Place the bell pepper halves, cut sides up, in a baking dish. Toss together the tomatoes, feta, thyme, and basil in a medium bowl; season with black pepper. Fill each pepper with tomato and feta mixture, dividing evenly. Drizzle each with oil.

　　

Step 2

Bake the stuffed peppers, covered with aluminum foil, until they begin to soften, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil; continue to bake until the tomatoes begin to burst and the cheese turns light brown, 13 to 15 minutes more. Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven, and serve warm.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.