The Easy Dinner Princess Diana Ate '2 or 3 Times a Week'

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Getty Images / Allrecipes

Princess Diana was known for many things. From being the “People’s Princess” to her charity work and her iconic style—we can’t name a better casual combo than biker shorts and an oversized sweatshirt. One thing Princess Di was not renowned for, however, was her cooking.

In fact, her personal chef at Kensington Palace, Darren McGrady recalls cooking for her five nights a week and leaving prepared plates of food with microwaving instructions over the weekends, he told HuffPost.

Even though she wasn’t adept in the kitchen—and famously struggled with an eating disorder—Princess Diana was still a foodie, McGrady says.

“If any misconception, it was that the Princess didn’t like food. She did. But healthy food,” McGrady told Delish.

Princess Di followed a low-fat diet and ate mostly vegetarian meals—though she enjoyed rainbow trout or chicken now and again, according to her chef. But her all-time favorite recipe is one McGrady says brings back happy memories every time he makes it.

“Stuffed bell peppers was one of her favorite dishes—she probably had [it] two or three times a week,” he told Delish.

Princess Diana's Favorite Dinner

Because Princess Di didn’t eat beef, McGrady’s stuffed pepper recipe isn’t one you might expect with ground beef, rice, and cheese. Instead, Her Royal Highness’ favorite dinner was bell peppers stuffed with veggies, rice, and cheese in a smoky tomato sauce.

“The stuffed bell peppers were filled with all the goodies that she liked: zucchini, mushrooms, some rice [for] carbs to help her through the day, a little mozzarella in there, too, and, of course, some Parmesan cheese. Finishing that with a smoked tomato pepper sauce, it made it a really nice, healthy dish,” McGrady said in a “Delish” video.

McGrady shares a version of Princess Di’s favorite stuffed peppers recipe in his cookbook “Eating Royally,” which he says can be used for stuffed eggplant, too. Here’s how to make the People’s Princess’ beloved dish at home.

How to Make Princess Diana's Favorite Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

4 medium red bell peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
1 cup finely sliced button mushrooms
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 cup rice, cooked until al dente and cooled
1/2 cup water
1/2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
4 slices smoked bacon, broiled crispy and chopped
1 teaspoon fresh basil, shredded
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Cut the tops off peppers, and clean out the seeds and membranes. If peppers won’t stand up, cut a little piece off the bottom to level them. Place peppers on a baking sheet, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 25 minutes, or until they start to soften. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Pour the oil from the peppers into a frying pan, and add the onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and oregano. Season the vegetables with the salt and pepper to taste, and sauté over high heat until they start to soften. Add the tomatoes, rice, water, and bouillon cube, and simmer for about five minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

Fold in bacon, basil, and mozzarella, and divide among the peppers. Sprinkle Parmesan on top of peppers and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and the filling is hot.

This recipe was shared courtesy of “Eating Royally” by Darren McGrady.

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