Vegan stuffed peppers in tomato sauce

First make the tomato sauce. Finely chop the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cut off the base of the peppers and take off any flesh from the green stems. Discard the stems and seeds.

Heat a spoonful of oil in a casserole dish, sauté the onion, pepper flesh, celery and carrots until soft. Add the garlic, herb mixture, chili flakes and tomato purée, stir for a few seconds, then add the stock cube and passata. Cook for ten minutes, add the parsley and nutritional yeast, then using a hand-held blender process it into a thick purée. Taste it, and season it to your liking. If needed, add some sugar. This sauce can be put in a jar and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. (Although, if you’re not using it within 24 hours – don’t cut off the base of the bell peppers)

When you’re ready to cook the dish, divide the tomato sauce into two equal portions.

Pour one portion into a saucepan, then add the green vegetables. Add some water if it’s too thick. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the meatless mince in a frying pan, following the packet’s instructions. When it’s done, transfer it into the saucepan and combine well with the sauce. You might need to add some more water or stock – this will be your filling, so it should be very thick.

Pour the other portion of the tomato sauce into a deep saucepan and add enough water to get a semi-thick sauce. Place the peppers in the sauce, close to each other, then stuff them with the filling.

Bring to the boil and gently cook, over low heat and under cover, for 15-20 minutes or until the peppers have softened but still al dente.

Meanwhile, cook some pasta or rice according to the packet’s instruction, then drain and keep warm.

Serve the stuffed peppers with tomato sauce on top of pasta or rice.