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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Vegetarian stuffed peppers—baked until tender and brimming with a taco-seasoned, cheesy bean-and-rice filling—are an easy, healthy dinner that’s sure to spice up your week.

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vegetarian stuffed bell peppers topped with cilantro and melted cheese in a casserole

Surprise! The Best Stuffed Peppers Just Happen to Be Vegetarian.

Cooking one food—in this case, a beany rice-and-cheese filling—inside of another food (red bell peppers) looks fiddly, but making stuffed peppers is really easy. Bell peppers are already basically hollow, so being a delicious, edible bowl for a cheesy, tomato-y filling is a role they were born to play!

These vegetarian stuffed peppers are (duh) meat-free. But, what they lack in beefiness, they more than make up for in flavor. A healthy way to indulge your craving for Mexican food, they’re taco-seasoned and loaded with black beans and pepper jack cheese for a satisfying kick.

vegetarian stuffed peppers topped with cheese and cilantro

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4 Reasons to Try Our Healthy Stuffed Peppers Recipe TONIGHT.

Just in case you need a nudge, we can think of at least four terrific reasons to make these cheesy stuffed peppers ASAP.

  1. They’re really healthy. These bell peppers are essentially veggies cooked in veggies—so you could probably already tell this recipe was a healthy one, right? Rice, black beans, peppers and tomatoes conspire to make these stuffed peppers an excellent source of fiber, and the beans and cheese mean that they have plenty of protein, too.
  2. They’re SO easy. Although they take about an hour to make, this certainly qualifies as an easy stuffed peppers recipe because most of that hour is oven time.
  3. They’re good for the planet! We all know that one of the biggest, easiest steps we can take towards taking better care of the planet is eating a little less meat. Delicious vegetarian recipes like this prove that eating less meat is actually pretty painless.
  4. Our vegetarian stuffed peppers are also gluten-free, without even trying! We didn’t set out to make these gluten-free, but isn’t it nice when it just works out that way? Major bonus!
ingredients for vegetarian stuffed bell peppers in small bowls
cast iron skillet of rice, tomatoes, broth, bell peppers, onions and green onions
mexican rice in a cast iron skillet
mexican rice with beans and corn in a cast iron skillet
red bell peppers cut in half stuffed with mexican rice in a casserole dish

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

Our oven-baked, easy stuffed peppers are quick, healthy and pretty darn crowd-pleasing. They’re kind of fun to make, too, which isn’t the only reason to make them but it sure helps, doesn’t it? Anyway, here’s how easy these are:

  1. Cook the bean and Mexican rice pepper filling in a skillet to meld the flavors. Note: this stuffed pepper filling is also great on it's own!
  2. Prep the red peppers! Slice them in half, and scoop out the membranes and seeds so you’ve got sweet little red bell pepper “bowls”, ready to hold that hearty filling.
  3. Fill! Mound big spoonfuls of that tomatoey, bean-speckled rice mixture into the peppers, and top with cheese. OR, to make these vegan stuffed peppers, just leave the cheese off, or use a vegan cheese alternative.
  4. Bake! Just long enough to really soften the peppers and for the cheese to melt into the filling—about 30 minutes.
vegetarian stuffed bell peppers topped with cilantro and melted cheese in a casserole

Tools You’ll Need.

Four More Easy Vegetarian Recipes:

Meat-free doesn’t have to mean missing out. Here are four vegetarian recipes that prove it:

vegetarian stuffed peppers topped with cilantro

Gluten-Free, Healthy, Vegetarian (Nearly Vegan!) Stuffed Peppers that Taste Good, Too?

Yes! Crazy, right? We hope you’re as sold on this super easy, delicious bell pepper recipe as we are. Tell us how yours turned out! Snap a photo of your stuffed peppers, and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you share them with. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  20 min
  • Cook Time:  1 hr 20 min
  • Calories: 319

Ingredients

  • 5 large red bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 ⅔ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 3 to 4 green onions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (homemade or store bought)
  • 1 (13.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
  • Minced fresh cilantro (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F with a rack in the center position. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil.

  2. Trim, deseed, and dice one of the bell peppers. Halve the remaining bell peppers lengthwise, keeping the stems intact as much as possible. Discard the seeds and ribs.

  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onion and cook, stirring, until just softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rice and salt and cook for about 3 minutes more. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, green onions, taco seasoning, and bell pepper.Bring the rice mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in black beans and corn, until fully combined and warmed through.

  4. Arrange the peppers in the prepared baking dish and fill them with the rice mixture, dividing evenly. Top with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbling and golden brown, about 40 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired, and serve.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories319
  • Protein12 g
  • Carbohydrates49 g
  • Total Fat9 g
  • Dietary Fiber7 g
  • Cholesterol20 mg
  • sodium626 mg
  • Total Sugars10 g

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Questions & Reviews

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  • Ms. Blackwell

    Should we cook rice prior, or are we stirring in uncooked rice?

    You are starting with uncooked rice, it will cook through out the process (step 3). Hope you enjoy!

  • Carmen Garcia

    Can we prepare stuffing one day before

    Absolutely! Hope you enjoy!

  • Lisa

    It says to top with cheese before baking. This caused my cheese to totally burn. I think it would be better to top with cheese after baking, don’t you?

    We haven't run into that issue but you can always add the cheese later, like half way through baking to avoid that.

  • Amanda

    I'm making these ahead of time for a potluck, would you recommend cooking them for the full 40 minuets ahead of time and then reheating them at the party?

    Yes, that should work well!

  • Linda

    under method, #3 says to add the bell peppers to cook for 25 minutes. Then it says to fill the peppers and cook for another 40 minutes. seems like that is over cooking the peppers.

    It step 3 it is just talking about the one bell pepper that you dice up that is being cooked for that 25 minutes. Then you take all that rice filling and put it in the raw bell pepper halves and then bake. Hope this answers your question.

  • Meaghan

    Love these, slam dunk!! I used quinoa instead of rice and they were super tasty!

    Thanks Meaghan, so glad you enjoyed them!

  • Juliana Griffiths

    Love the sound of this recipe! I have an abundance of peppers from our garden and want to make these and freeze them. Please let me know what step to go up to. Should I wait and put the pepperjack cheese on them once they are defrosted? Or is it okay to put the cheese on before freezing them. Thank you!
    Juliana

    It should be fine either way as long as long as you let them cool to room temp before putting the cheese on them. Then thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. Hope you enjoy!

  • Hailey

    These peppers! I can’t even begin to describe my love for them! I make these at least 3 times a month as a meal prep option for my lunches and when I don’t make them I miss and crave them! I typically make them as the recipe states, but every once in a while if I don’t have the 40+ min for the peppers to go into the oven, I just take the mixture throw the pepper Jack cheese onto the top and throw it into the oven for a few min, so I’m still getting the yummy cheese part of it and it’s still just as amazing! So thankful for this recipe, makes me really enjoy healthful foods!!!

    Thanks Hailey, we are so happy you love it!

  • Carol Weber

    I am not a vegetarian but make this dish often because it is delicious.

    I use a larger can of diced tomatoes to add moisture. And, depending on my mood, I add a few drops of hot sauce to give it some kick.

    Thanks Carol, we are so glad you love it!

  • Donna

    This looks amazing and easy. It will be tonights dinner. Thank you

    Thanks Donna!