We're parked up under the trees at El Burro Blanco in the Sierra de Francia — proper shade, a bar worth sitting at, and a two-ring gas hob that's about to earn its keep.
Stuffed sweet peppers are exactly the right thing to cook here. Two long red peppers, halved and filled with couscous, prawns, toasted nuts, fresh coriander, and melted cheddar — cooked entirely in a lidded frying pan on the gas hob. One pan, minimal washing-up, and on the table in under thirty minutes. This stuffed sweet peppers recipe is flexible by design — swap the prawns for tuna, the cheddar for whatever's in the cool box, the coriander for parsley. It works either way.
El Burro Blanco — Cooking in the Shade
The Sierra de Francia is one of those corners of Spain that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Rolling hills, ancient villages, and enough tree cover to make summer bearable. El Burro Blanco sits in the middle of it — a campsite that feels more like a clearing in the woods than a formal pitch. Dutch owners, a relaxed atmosphere, and a bar worth sitting at when the cooking is done.
We arrived in the heat of the afternoon and didn't move much until the sun dropped. Issy settled on her mat under the awning. Poppy, never entirely comfortable around strangers, retreated to her safe space on the bottom bunk. It was hotter in there than outside — which is why I'd set up the 12v fan for her. By early evening, with the temperature finally coming down, it felt like the right moment to cook something worth eating.
Stuffed Sweet Peppers with Prawns & Couscous — The Method
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 long sweet red peppers, halved lengthways and deseeded
- 100g cooked prawns, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp walnuts and pine nuts, roughly chopped
- 40g integral couscous, soaked in hot water for 5–10 minutes
- A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
- 50g mature cheddar, grated
- Olive oil, salt, pepper
- Pinch of smoked paprika
Method
- Sauté the onion and garlic in a glug of olive oil until soft. Add the nuts and toast briefly, stirring, until they start to colour.
- Stir in the prawns, season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, and remove from the heat.
- Add the soaked couscous and coriander and half the grated cheddar. Mix well — this is your filling.
- Spoon the filling generously into the pepper halves. Scatter the remaining cheddar over the top.
- Place the stuffed peppers in a lidded frying pan. Add a splash of water to the base of the pan, cover, and cook on a low flame for 10–15 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted.
- If you have a flame gun — and I do, used inside with a little caution — a quick blast over the top before serving adds a welcome scorch to the cheese.
A Few Notes from the Van Kitchen
The peppers: Long sweet red peppers work best for stuffed sweet peppers — they sit flat in the pan and hold the filling well. The small round ones are harder to stuff and less stable. If you can only get standard bell peppers, halve them through the stem and trim the base slightly so they sit level.
The couscous: Integral couscous is wholegrain couscous — harder to find in rural Spanish supermarkets but readily available online. Regular couscous works just as well if that's what you have.
The prawns: Cooked prawns from the cool box, nothing fancy. Tinned tuna is an excellent substitute — drain it well and add it at the same stage.
The cheese: Mature cheddar was what I had. Manchego, Parmesan, or any hard cheese that melts well will do the same job.
The flame gun: A small indoor flame gun — not a plumber's blowtorch, something more manageable — gives the cheese a proper scorch in seconds. Used with a little caution inside the van. Worth it.
Washing-up: One pan, one bowl for mixing, one fork. That's it.
This recipe is also part of my growing Campervan Cooking Recipes collection — real van life meals cooked on a two-ring hob, no proper kitchen required.
If you fancy stuffed peppers without the prawns, my Stuffed Peppers: 3 Ways gives you three different fillings to choose from, or for a single larger pepper, try my Stuffed Pimiento Palermo Rojo.
Find more recipes and food adventures here, and more van cooking and travel stories in my Vanlife Adventures. Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef.
