You won’t believe how easy it is to make this vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe. It may seem like there are a lot of steps, but I promise you, this is so easy. All you have to do is roast the peppers, sauté the filling, and add it to the peppers. Easy as could be.
Even better, this is a healthy recipe that you’ll feel good about making for your family. Filled with rice, black beans, corn, and tomatoes, your kids won’t even notice how healthy this dish is underneath the layer of cheese on top. Want another recipe that your whole family will love? Try my vegetarian enchiladas recipe! Again, your family won’t even notice the vegetables under the cheese!
Key Ingredients You Need
- Bell peppers — Make the dish more colorful by using a variety of bell peppers. Keep in mind that red pepper bells are the sweetest variety.
- Taco seasoning — I love using my homemade blend of taco seasoning as I find it more flavorful and contains no filler ingredients, but store-bought taco seasoning will work as well.
- Black beans — it’s important to remember to rinse and drain your canned black beans before using them as it removes the extra sodium.
- Mexican rice — While you can use regular rice, I recommend using Mexican rice. I love how much flavor my homemade Mexican rice brings to the stuffed peppers.
- Cheese — The cheese helps bind the stuffing together once it melts over the top of the stuffed peppers. Shredded pepper jack cheese is my go-to but feel free to use your favorite.
How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Step 1: Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, from stem to base, and remove all of the seeds and white membranes. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400F until the edges of the bell peppers have begun to blister and they are soft enough to pierce with a fork.
Step 2: While the bell peppers are roasting, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion and salt and cook until the onion has softened. Add the tomato and cook for 3 - 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, or until fragrant.
Step 4: Add green onions, black beans, corn, and Mexican rice. Mix to combine and heat until warm throughout. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5: Grab the bell peppers out from the oven.
Step 6: Spoon a heaping spoonful of the mixture into each bell pepper. Top each one with cheese and place it back into the oven until the cheese has completely melted. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Tips For This Recipe
- You can make the stuffing ahead of time to meal prep for the week. Simply roast the peppers, reheat the stuffing, and stuff the peppers.
- Quinoa and lentils are excellent substitutes for rice if you want to change things around.
- If you don’t have black beans, you can use pinto beans instead.
- Always cook the rice before adding it to the peppers. Uncooked rice won’t cook with the peppers and will be crunchy and inedible if you add it to the stuffing raw.
- Chickpeas make for a great addition to the stuffing as well.
- Leftover stuffed peppers last for up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to store in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend boiling the peppers before roasting them. The peppers will be overcooked and become mushy if you boil and roast the bell peppers.
These vegetarian stuffed peppers go with everything! My go-to side dishes are air fryer potato wedges, tomato salad, beet salad, cauliflower steak, and air fryer green beans. I like to keep things simple on weeknights, and these sides don’t take long to make.
Do not skip pre-cooking the peppers in the oven. This helps keep the peppers from becoming too watery when served. Also, don’t skip sautéing the vegetables beforehand with the rice. Sautéing ensures that you cook out excess moisture before it goes into the peppers.
You can! Freeze leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. You could also freeze it after stuffing, before baking.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large red bell peppers or any color you choose
- 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup Mexican Rice
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 roma tomatoes diced
- 3-4 green onions chopped
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed (13.5 oz)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, from stem to base and remove all of the seeds and white membranes. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges of the bell peppers have begun to blister and they are soft enough to pierce with a fork.
- While the bell peppers are roasting, in a large skillet over medium high heat, add the onion and salt and cook until the onion has softened. Add the tomato and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Next add the garlic and taco seasoning and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute, or until fragrant.
- Add green onions, black beans, corn, and Mexican Rice. Mix to combine and heat until warm throughout. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- After the bell peppers have finished cooking, spoon a heaping spoonful of the mixture into each bell pepper. Top each one with cheese and place back into the oven until the cheese has completely melted.
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
- You can make the stuffing ahead of time to meal prep for the week. Simply roast the peppers, reheat the stuffing, and stuff the peppers.
- Quinoa and lentils are excellent substitutes for rice if you want to change things around.
- If you don’t have black beans, you can use pinto beans instead.
- Always cook the rice before adding it to the peppers. Uncooked rice won’t cook with the peppers and will be crunchy and inedible if you add it to the stuffing raw.
- Chickpeas make for a great addition to the stuffing as well.
- Leftover stuffed peppers last for up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to store in an airtight container.
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