Princess Diana’s Favorite Dinner Is Pure Comfort

I started watching Darren McGrady (a.k.a. The Royal Chef) on YouTube shortly after he started making recipe videos in 2019. His channel has grown into a treasure trove of recipes and anecdotes from his time cooking for the royal family. I still love to check in now and again to see what he’s whipping up—it’s so fun to listen to his stories of picking berries for jam at Balmoral, cooking “spaggy bol” for Prince William and Harry as young boys, and meeting each of the royals for the first time. 

McGrady’s fondness for all of them and his love of the job is clearly on display in his videos. He held a position for ten years at Buckingham Palace, and then five more years at Kensington Palace for Princess Diana, after her separation from Prince Charles. He now lives in Texas, where he owns a catering company, writes cookbooks, and produces his YouTube content.

Lucky for us, McGrady has been generous enough to share some of the recipes he came up with for the beloved Princess Diana, including these delicious stuffed peppers. He cooked them for Princess Di up to three times a week, and I can see why she requested them so often. They might be my favorite ones I’ve ever had, and I’ll definitely make them again.

The peppers are stuffed with a well-seasoned filling of rice, sautéed vegetables, and melty mozzarella cheese. They can easily be made vegetarian if you swap out the bacon in the filling for a little extra Parmesan. In fact, that’s what the chef does in his recipe video.   

Why I Love the Royal Chef’s Stuffed Peppers

For a dinner fit for royalty, these stuffed peppers are surprisingly easy to put together. In McGrady’s video, he demonstrates just one serving, but the book recipe is scaled up to serve four. It’s also simplified—the princess got a smoked tomato and pepper sauce ladled on the plate underneath hers, but the peppers are delicious without it. 

Diana loved to eat nutritious, vegetable-filled dishes, and these bell peppers are a perfect example. The rice and vegetable-based filling includes mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini, and onions. There are also some herbs, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and crispy bacon in the mix, adding plenty of flavor and richness.  

I enjoyed putting this recipe together and using some of McGrady’s clever, classically-influenced techniques. He’s a master of layering flavors and seasonings. All of the components of the dish are seasoned and cooked separately, then combined and baked briefly to ensure that the cheese is melty and the filling is heated all the way through.

I love how the peppers are drizzled with olive oil and par-baked, and then that pepper-infused olive oil is used to sauté the onions, mushrooms, and zucchini. So smart. Oh, and though it’s not mentioned in the printed recipe, he lightly salts the oil-drizzled peppers before baking, ensuring that every bite is perfectly seasoned. 

Tips for Making Princess Diana’s Favorite Dinner

There are a couple of other differences I noticed in the printed version of this recipe vs. McGrady’s video. First, in the video, he halves his peppers lengthwise rather than removing their tops. This is how I like to make my stuffed peppers anyway—they’re easier to stuff and much less wobbly in the baking pan. Second, the filling looks like it has a lot less rice and more vegetables than in the printed recipe. 

You can adjust the ratio of rice to veggies to your liking, making these as light or as hearty as you want. I’ll be adding more vegetables next time for sure. I look forward to enjoying these fantastic stuffed peppers again in my family’s dinner rotation, and to exploring more of Chef Darren’s repertoire of Diana’s favorites.

Chef Darren McGrady’s Stuffed Peppers

For 4 servings, you’ll need:

• 4 red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup rice, cooked until al dente and cooled
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
• 4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped (optional)
• Shredded fresh basil
• 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut off the tops of the peppers and clean out the seeds and membranes. If the peppers won’t stand up on their own, cut thin slices from the bottoms to level them. Alternatively, halve the peppers lengthwise and lay them cut-side up. Place the peppers on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 25 minutes or until the peppers start to soften.
2. Pour the oil from cooking the peppers into a skillet and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Add the onion, mushrooms, zucchini, and oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables until starting to soften. Add the tomatoes, rice, water, and bouillon and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
3. Fold the bacon, basil, and mozzarella into the rice-vegetable mixture. Divide the mixture among the peppers. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.

This recipe is adapted from Eating Royally, by Chef Darren McGrady.