Meatless Stuffed Peppers
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I want to make more meatless meals, but I often struggle with the idea that the lack of meat protein won't fill us up enough. This is a pretty common misconception among us meat lovers, and I'm happy to develop deliciously satisfying meals to help combat that myth, starting with this stuffed pepper recipe!
These easy stuffed bell peppers are a flavorful way to turn even the most staunch meat lover into a believer. They're full of tasty goodies like rice, beans, spinach, tomatoes and plenty of cheese and, I've gotta say, the leftovers are pretty great too!
Tips for how to make stuffed peppers
- The exact amount of peppers you'll need will depend entirely on the size of your peppers. You want them to fit well into your pan.
- While many stuffed pepper recipes I see hollow out each bell pepper by cutting off the tops, I find them easier to eat when they are cut in half from the top to bottom before hollowing out (so stand them up and cut straight down the middle through the stem).
- Make sure you remove the seeds and white membranes from the inside of each pepper.
- The stuffing is a great way to use leftover cooked rice.
- When stuffing the pepper halves with the rice mixture, press the filling down gently and fill the peppers nice and full!
- Be sure to cover them before baking.
- If you love the filling, you can double that recipe and spread half of it onto the bottom of the pan before adding the peppers.
Which peppers do I use?
Any sort of bell peppers will work- I like to use a mix of colors to make it prettier, but the red are my favorite!
Do I have to par-bake the peppers before stuffing them?
I don't because I think the texture of the peppers is perfect without it. If you prefer a softer pepper, you can always bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven while you make the filling.
How long do you baked stuffed peppers?
I bake these for 45 minutes covered and then I remove the cover, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Can I make stuffed peppers ahead?
Yes, these reheat very well! Another option would be to stuff the peppers and then refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Pull it out about 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring to room temperature and then bake as per the recipe directions.
Can you freeze stuffed peppers?
Ingredients for making this Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers recipe
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Romano cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- Roma tomatoes
- Great Northern beans
- Tomato sauce
- Water
- Cooked rice
- Fresh spinach
- Shredded Mozzarella cheese
Ingredients to prep ahead:
- Dice onion
- Dice mushrooms (only if making within 2 days)
- Cook rice
- Shred cheese
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers are a satisfying meal that comes together quickly! This easy weeknight dinner is perfect for Meatless Monday.
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 8 ounces mushrooms, diced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper,
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 Tablespoons grated Romano cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 14 ounce can Great Northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 8 ounce can Tomato sauce
- 4 ounces water (fill empty sauce can half way to get out residual sauce)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup roughly shopped fresh spinach.
- 4-5 bell peppers sliced in half down the middle and hollowed out
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering.
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Add onion and cook for 3 minutes to soften, stirring often.
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Add mushrooms and and saute for 3 minutes, stirring often.
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Add garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant.
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Combine salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper (if using), Italian seasoning, Romano cheese, tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce and water. Cook for 5-7 minutes until well combined, stirring periodically.
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Stir in rice and spinach and cook for 2 minutes until spinach is wilted and rice is heated through.
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Stuff the filling into the pepper halves, gently pressing in so they're nice and full (the peppers should be snug in the pan).
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Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
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Remove cover and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.
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Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes to melt the cheese. Serve immediately.
If you tried this recipe please comment and rate it 🙂 I love hearing your feedback and answering your questions!
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