These Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers are easy to make and so delicious! They have a delicious Mexican-inspired quinoa and black bean filling.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Bell peppers – use any colour bell peppers of your choice.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Yellow onion – white onion or red onion could also be used.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Chili powder – use a combination of paprika, cumin, cayenne, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder instead.
- Cumin – swap out for coriander or more chili powder.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Black beans – use another legume like pinto beans or kidney beans.
- Corn – fresh or frozen corn would both work.
- Salsa – use your favourite fresh or jarred variety.
- Cheddar cheese – Monterey Jack or Tex Mex cheese would also be good. For a dairy-free option, leave out the cheese.
- Cilantro – leave off the cilantro if you're not a fan.
- Quinoa – substitute for another grain of your choice like brown rice.
How to make stuffed peppers
Step 1: Roast the peppers.
Cut and deseed the peppers. Drizzle with olive oil, cover in tinfoil and cook in the oven. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in a rice cooker or a pot on the stovetop.
Step 2: Make the filling.
Sauté the onion and garlic, then add in the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, black beans, corn and salsa. Stir in the cooked quinoa until well combined.
Step 3: Stuff the peppers.
Add the filling with the peppers, then top with the cheese.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy!
Bake until the cheese is melted, then garnish with cilantro and serve.
Tips for these stuffed peppers
Make sure your vegetarian stuffed peppers turn out perfectly every time! Here are some top tips:
- Make the filling ahead of time: You can cook the filling a couple days in advance, then store it in the fridge in an airtight glass container. Add to the roasted peppers, then bake as normal.
- Cook the peppers first: I'd highly recommend cooking the peppers in the oven before stuffing them. If you don't cook them ahead of time, they'll be a lot crunchier and not as cooked.
- Try out different fillings: This recipe has a lot of Tex Mex flavours, but feel free to get creative with your fillings. Try out different cheeses, veggies, sauces and seasonings.
- Adjust for a vegan diet: If you need these stuffed peppers to be vegan, just leave off the cheese or use your favourite vegan cheese.
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally prefer to cook my bell peppers for about 20 minutes before adding the filling. If you don't pre-cook the peppers, they'll have a much crunchier texture and you risk the peppers getting soggy.
Cut the stems off the bell peppers then cut them in half vertically, so you have two evenly-sized halves. Cut away any of the white pithy parts and remove the seeds.
Yes! You can make the stuffing for these stuffed peppers a couple days beforehand. Store the filling in an airtight container in the fridge. When you're ready to make the peppers, add the filling to the cooked peppers, top with cheese and cook as normal.
These vegetarian stuffed peppers can be served on their own or with some crispy green bean fries, pea salad (without the bacon for a vegetarian option) or sweet potato salad.
Pre-cooking the peppers will prevent them from getting soggy. The bell peppers will release some water/juices when cooking, so pre-cooking them before adding the filling will prevent them from getting soggy. Just make sure you don't overcook them, or they'll be mushy.
Storing and reheating
You can store your leftover vegetarian stuffed peppers in the fridge for up to 5 days in airtight glass containers or meal prep bowls. When you're ready to enjoy, you can pop them in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or reheat them in the oven in a foil-covered baking dish at 375° Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Feel free to sprinkle on some extra cheese in the last 10 minutes of cooking time!
Freezing this recipe
While the texture won't be exactly the same after defrosting, you can freeze this vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe for up to 3 months in airtight containers. Let the peppers defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the oven for 30 minutes at 375° Fahrenheit.
Make healthy eating easy! Join our Dinner Prep Pro app.
- ZERO ADS on over 450 recipes
- Customizable weekly meal plans
- Grocery and meal prep checklists
- Bonus resource library and community
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up your weekly lunches.
- A rice cooker is invaluable for saving time, and it cooks other grains, too!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers any colour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 (540mL) can black beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 1/4 cup cilantro for garnish
Quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup quinoa
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in a rice cooker or pot on the stove until liquid has absorbed.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut peppers in half and remove the white pithy parts of the peppers plus the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and cook in oven, with tin foil covering pan, for 20 min.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large frying pan and add onions and garlic, cooking for 3-4 min until fragrant. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper, black beans, corn and salsa, cooking another 2 minutes. Stir in cooked quinoa until well combined.
- Add filling to peppers, then top with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, garnish with cilantro if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Share With Me!
Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!