Stuffed Bell Peppers

Looking for a new dinner recipe? Try these simple and easy Stuffed Bell Peppers. Filled with rice, onion, spinach, spices, vegan chorizo and topped with cheese and a creamy cilantro dressing. These peppers are flavorful, filling, and simple to make. 

These Stuffed Peppers were inspired by veggie fajitas, my favorite dish to order when we go out to a Mexican restaurant. I love fajitas for their combination of flavors and all of the rice and beans that are served with this dish. I also enjoy how they cook the peppers since they are slightly crunchy. 

TIPS WHEN PREPPING THESE STUFFED PEPPERS 

• The first thing you will want to do is cook your rice. You can either use white rice or brown rice for this recipe. I either cook my rice in a rice cooker or cook it on a stovetop following the direction on the back of the rice bag. It’s important not to overcook your rice since you will be baking it with your peppers.
• Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 degrees C). While the rice is cooking you will want to prep the peppers. 
• You can use any color bell pepper for this recipe. I just decided to pick the red bell pepper for its natural sweetness, but they all taste wonderful.
• Cut the tops “lids” off the peppers and remove the seeds from the inside. You will want to make sure not to cut too much off the tops of the peppers so you have enough pepper to stuff. See the pepper photos below*. 
• Heat a pan on medium heat and add the oil and onion. Cook the onion for 3-5 minutes or until the onion becomes soft. Then add your plant-based meat and cook it according to the back of the package.
• Then add the rice, seasoning, soy sauce, veggie broth and mix. The veggie broth is optional, I just like to add so the rice doesn’t dry out too much in the oven. 
• Lastly add the chopped fresh spinach and immediately take it off the heat. If it looks like the spinach is still raw, that is good. The spinach will cook while the peppers are cooking in the oven.

For the plant-based meat I used No Evil Foods (not sponsored) plant-based chorizo sausage for this recipe. You can use any type of plant meat for this recipe. If you are gluten-free or don’t eat processed meats you can use black beans or pinto beans as a substitute. 

You might notice that some of your peppers might not stand up straight, but no worries. When you place them in a baking dish I recommend placing them next to one another. You can use each pepper to balance one another along with the sides of your baking dish or pan.

You should have enough filling for 6 medium to large bell peppers. If all you could find is small bell peppers, I still recommend making all of the filling. The filling tastes delicious as is or in a soft or hard tortilla. It is especially great for when you need leftovers! 

Lastly, you are going to stuff the peppers with the filling. You want to make sure to fill the rice mixture to the top of the pepper. Place the filled peppers on a pan or a dish and bake for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes you can sprinkle vegan cheese on top of the pepper and put back in the oven for 5 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit (176 C). Adding cheese is optional but does add another level of flavor to these peppers. Let peppers cool for about 5-10 minutes and top with the creamy cilantro sauce. If you want to skip adding the cilantro sauce, you can use your favorite toppings instead. The toppings for these peppers are endless!

Below are some of my other favorites:

Salsa

Vegan Sour Cream

Guacamole

Chopped Jalapenos

Hot Sauce  

Substitutions 

I wanted to share some of the recipe ingredients that you can swap out in case you do not have the ones I listed in your pantry or refrigerator.

Olive Oil – Filtered Water 

White Onion- Yellow or Red Onion

Vegetable Broth – Filtered Water 

Red Bell Peppers – Yellow or Green Bell Peppers

Vegan Chorizo  – Black Beans or Pinto Beans

Soy Sauce – Tamari *use gluten-free if you are gluten-free

Spices – Taco Seasoning 

White Rice – Brown Rice or Quinoa 

These Stuffed Bell Peppers are: 

Savory

Flavorful

Comforting

Easy to Make

Packed with Plant Protein

If you make this recipe I would love it if you would snap a photo of your Stuffed Bell Peppers and share it with me on Instagram @itsallgoodvegan.com. I can’t wait to see how you like it!