Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe – Love and Lemons

These stuffed peppers make a vegetarian dinner that everyone will love! They’re filled with rice and beans and topped with a layer of melty cheese.

These stuffed peppers deserve a spot in your dinner rotation! It’s the perfect combination of comfort and freshness, filled with a delicious rice and bean blend and topped with melty cheese. Yes, they’re vegetarian, but these stuffed peppers are so flavorful that everyone, including meat eaters!, will love them.

I’ve shared other vegetarian stuffed peppers on the blog before, but this NEW recipe is hands down my favorite. Here’s why:

1. The filling is so tasty. It starts with a base of hearty Brown ricewith Black beans for protein and corn kernels for crunch. Onions, garlic and tomato paste make it nice and tasty, and chili powder and cumin adds earthy flavor and heat. YUM!
2. It’s great for meal preparation. Prepare the rice filling a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This way you can quickly assemble the peppers for an easy weeknight meal.
3. It’s clean! These stuffed peppers are packed with plant-based protein, fiber, and, of course, fresh veggies. Seconds, what do you think?

Let’s cook!

How to make stuffed peppers

This vegetarian stuffed pepper recipe has three main steps:

1. Roast the peppers. Cooking the peppers on their own before adding the topping gives them the perfect tender texture.
2. Make the filling. It all comes together in minutes on the stovetop.
3. Assembling and cooking the peppers. You’ll stuff the peppers with the rice filling and grill them until the cheese is melted and golden.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Roast the peppers

The first step in this recipe is to roast the peppers. It only takes 10 minutes and it gives them the perfect tender texture.

Cut them in half vertically, remove the membranes and seeds and place them cut side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper, then bake at 450°F until the peppers are tender.

After roasting, drain any liquid that collects inside the peppers and set them aside while you prepare the filling.

Make the filling

While the peppers roast, prepare the topping. If you don’t already have it cooked brown rice on hand, start by preparing it. (See tip below!)

When ready, sauté the onions, jalapeño, and garlic until softened. Then add the tomato paste and spices. Cook until the tomato paste darkens and the spices are fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the rice, beans and corn. Add fresh lime juice and zest for a burst of bright flavor. Season as desired.

Finally, assemble and bake!

Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture and top with cheese.

Broil until cheese is melted and golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Serving Suggestions for Stuffed Peppers

Want to make these vegetarian stuffed peppers even tastier? Serve them with slices of avocado or guacamole and your favorite salsa!

Peppers are a satisfying meal on their own, but if you’re looking for something to serve as a side, you can’t go wrong with one of these recipes:

Store leftover peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They reheat perfectly in the microwave!

More Easy Vegetarian Recipes

If you like these stuffed peppers, then try one of these easy vegetarian recipes:

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Preparation time: 30 minutes minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes minutes

Total time: 1 hour hour

Serves 4

These healthy stuffed peppers are filled with a flavorful blend of rice, beans and vegetables and topped with melty cheese. They are naturally gluten-free; check out the notes below to make them vegan.

• 4 Red peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed
• 2 soup spoons avocado oil, and more for watering
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, hulled and finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 soup spoons Tomato concentrate
• 2 coffee spoons chili powder
• 2 coffee spoons cumin powder
• ¾ teaspoon sea ​​salt, and more for watering
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups cooked brown rice
• 1½ cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 2 soup spoons fresh lime juice, more quarters to serve
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese*
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salsa, optional, to serve
• Lawyer, Or guacamoleoptional, to serve

Cooking modeStop your screen from going dark

• Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Place the peppers, cut side up, on the baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes or until tender. Tip and discard any liquid that collects inside the peppers. Reserve the peppers while you prepare the filling.

• Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeño and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 3 minutes, or until the tomato paste darkens and the spices are fragrant.

• Remove from heat and stir in brown rice, black beans, corn and lime juice and zest. Season as desired.

• Fill the peppers with the rice mixture and cover with cheese. Place in a large baking dish and broil for 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

• Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with salsa and avocado, if desired, and lime wedges for squeezing.

*To make vegan stuffed peppers, replace the pepper jack with your favorite shredded vegan cheese. You can also omit the cheese and serve the peppers with avocado and chipotle sauce. No need to grill the peppers in this case.