Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
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This easy vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe packs bell peppers with Mexican flavors. Hearty, wholesome, and simple enough for any busy night!
Stuffed peppers usually mean Italian flavors, ground beef, and pre-cooked rice. But did you know they can be just as delicious with a Mexican twist?
Better yet, these stuffed peppers are made with healthy veggies and are totally good for vegetarian AND vegan diets!
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Love all things stuffed? You’ve got to try our chili baked potatoes and zucchini boats!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
- This vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe is the easy, tasty cure for busy weeknights and boring meals!
- These meatless stuffed peppers are perfect for sneaking in more nutritious vegetables to your routine. A lifesaver if you have picky eaters at home!
- These stuffed veggie peppers are adaptable! Use whatever’s in your pantry or in season.
Ingredients And Substitutions
Extra virgin olive oil – For cooking the aromatics.
Onion and garlic – Cooking them first makes them more flavorful for the vegetarian peppers!
Taco seasoning – Lends savory Mexican flavors to this meatless meal!
Cooked quinoa – You can also use cooked brown rice in these veggie stuffed peppers. For added plant-based protein, include chickpeas in the mix!
Black beans – For hearty Mexican-inspired stuffed peppers. You can also use pinto beans.
Corn kernels – What vegetables are good in stuffed peppers? You can add carrots, celery, and spinach to the filling. Button mushrooms will also be satisfying, especially for meat lovers, in these stuffed veggie peppers.
Salsa – We used our fire-roasted salsa from scratch.
Green chiles – They give the vegetable stuffed bell peppers an extra kick.
Vegan shredded cheese – This easy vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe is also perfect for vegans because it already uses vegan cheese. If you want to make the veg stuffed peppers extra cheesy and indulgent, sprinkle more shredded cheese on top in the last 5 minutes of baking!
Fresh bell peppers – Any color of pepper works for this stuffed pepper recipe, but choose short, fat peppers that can stand upright.
Optional toppings:
Avocado, lemon, salsa, and fresh cilantro leaves – Vegan sour cream and jalapeno slices will also be yummy on these vegan stuffed peppers!
Tips For Making This Recipe
Change it Up
For Italian-inspired vegetarian stuffed peppers, swap salsa with diced tomatoes, use zucchini instead of corn, and replace taco seasoning with Italian seasoning. And for a different take on stuffed peppers, use hotter ones like poblano pepper halves instead of bell peppers!
Use Cooked Rice
Cook the rice first to avoid crunchy grains in your veggie stuffed peppers!
Roast the Peppers
For softer stuffed veggie peppers, roast the peppers! Place them cut side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper, drizzle with oil and season with salt, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven preheated to convection roast at 475ºF.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe FAQs
Can I turn these into vegan stuffed peppers?
This easy vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe is already vegan-friendly since we used dairy-free cheese!
What peppers are best for vegetable stuffed bell peppers?
It all comes down to preference! Note that green peppers taste slightly bitter, red peppers are the sweetest, orange peppers are almost fruity, and yellow peppers have a somewhat mild flavor.
Why are my vegetarian stuffed peppers watery?
I personally didn’t encounter this issue, but stuffed peppers can get watery if not pre-cooked, as they release moisture during baking. Some veggies in the filling might also play a role.
Should peppers be precooked before stuffing?
This easy vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe skips pre-cooking since covering them for the first 20 minutes of baking ensures they cook perfectly.
Can I make meatless stuffed peppers peppers ahead of time?
I haven’t tried baking the peppers ahead of time, but you can definitely meal prep the filling a day or two in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the veg stuffed peppers.
More Delicious Vegetarian Recipes
- Vegetarian Sweet and Sour Porcupine Meatballs
- Vegetarian Pot Pie
- 3-Bean Vegetarian Chili
- Thanksgiving Leftover Veggie Burger
- Hummus Toast
I found this recipe for Vegan Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce that I HAVE to try!
Yay! You have made it this far, and I am so glad! Hey – If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Your comment and/or rating helps other readers!
Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1 4-oz can diced green chiles
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese, optional
- 4 large bell peppers, tops and cores removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, and taco seasoning. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
- In a large bowl, mix together the onion mixture, quinoa, black beans, corn, salsa, green chiles, and non-dairy cheese.
- Divide the quinoa-vegetable filling between the bell peppers and arrange them in a baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Top with avocado, salsa, lemon, and cilantro before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- For Italian-inspired vegetarian stuffed peppers, swap salsa with diced tomatoes, use zucchini instead of corn, and replace taco seasoning with Italian seasoning. And for a different take on stuffed peppers, use hotter ones like poblano pepper halves instead of bell peppers!
- Cook the rice first to avoid crunchy grains in your veggie stuffed peppers!
- For softer stuffed veggie peppers, roast the peppers! Place them cut side down on a baking sheet with parchment paper, drizzle with oil and season with salt, and roast for 10 to 15 minutes in the oven preheated to convection roast at 475ºF.
