Vegan Stuffed Peppers
These easy Vegan Stuffed Peppers are made Tex-Mex Style with rice or quinoa, black beans, and corn! They are very filling and perfect for quick weeknight dinners and meal prep.
How have I never shared Vegan Stuffed Peppers with you before?! Shame on me. They are the ultimate convenience lunch/dinner, super easy to pack and even eat on go, and deliciously flavorful.
Continuing with winning qualities, these quinoa stuffed peppers are super customizable. Plus, you more than likely already have the ingredients in your pantry and fridge. YAY for stuffed peppers!
Anyway, quinoa goes well with everything and is so foolproof and easy to make. So, I decided it was the perfect filling for these stuffed peppers. But it couldn’t do the job on its own, so there’s also tender corn, black beans, marinara sauce, and vegan mozzarella for your enjoyment. Oh, and also chili powder for a little kick!
Try these for your next weekly dinner – I guarantee you’ll love them. And, if you’re like me, they’ll instantly be added to next week’s meal plan!
Notes on Ingredients
Alrighty, let’s get into the key ingredients for these vegan stuffed peppers! As I mentioned above, I bet you already have a bunch of them:
- Bell Peppers: I like to use red, orange, and yellow. You can use all one color, do a mix, etc. Whatever you feel like!
- Coconut Oil: You can use other cooking oils like olive oil and canola oil, too.
- Onion: I tend to use white or yellow onion.
- Garlic: Minced garlic adds great savory flavor!
- Black Beans: I love the texture that canned black beans add to these peppers.
- Corn Kernels: Another great Tex Mex style addition!
- Chili Powder: For a touch of heat.
- More Seasoning: Also throw in some ground cumin, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped parsley.
- Cooked Quinoa: White or Brown rice is an easy substitution for this if you need it.
- Marinara Sauce: I tend to use a plainer type of marinara sauce because I like to add my own seasonings, listed above.
- Vegan Cheese: I love to add vegan mozzarella shreds for a cheesy topping.
*These are my favorite ingredients, but jalapeños would also taste amazing in the filling!
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Peppers
These stuffed peppers are as easy as mixing all the ingredients in a skillet over heat, softening the onions and garlic, and then stuffing the peppers. Seriously, easy as pie. Well, savory pie.
Here are more in-depth instructions for the best vegan stuffed peppers:
Preheat the Oven to 350 Degrees: Then, set aside a casserole dish for the bell peppers.
Prepare the Peppers: Slice the tops off of the bell peppers, and remove the insides and the seeds. Place them in the casserole dish upright, tightly packed against each other.
Sauté the Onion and Garlic: In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat the coconut oil. Add in the onions and garlic and sauté until slightly translucent – this takes about 5 minutes.
Mix in the Filling Ingredients: Add in the black beans, corn, chili powder, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper, parsley, and quinoa. Stir to combine. Add the marinara sauce and some of the cheese on top. Stir again to combine, and let the mixture sit until the cheese has melted slightly (about 3 minutes). Remove the skillet from the heat.
Stuff the Peppers: Stuff each of the peppers with the mixture, packing them tightly. Sprinkle more cheese on top of the peppers.
Bake: Bake the peppers for 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. You can also lightly broil the tops, if you like.
Tips for Success
There’s so little work required here that you could actually make these after a long day for dinner! Busy or not, though, I’ve got some extra tips that will make the process a breeze:
- Make the Quinoa Ahead: You can totally make the quinoa right before you make the peppers, but the night before works too, and saves time the next day. Either way, it’s easy and tastes great with all the other ingredients.
- Texture Tip: I love my peppers soft, but still intact. If you want them to be super soft and buttery, you can blanch the peppers in hot water before and then drain them. It’s totally up to you!
- Can I Grill These? Sure! Cooking the peppers for 40 minutes is more to soften the peppers than anything, but you could also do this on a grill if you want. Beautifully charred skin would go SO well with these.
- Switch Up the Flavors: That’s one of the best parts about stuffed peppers – they can be made Spanish, Tex Mex, pizza, or even Cuban style. It’s totally up to you!
Topping Ideas
My favorite topping for these vegan stuffed peppers is by far vegan mozzarella cheese. It’s so stringy and delicious! However, you definitely have options. You could also add a spoonful of vegan sour cream to each pepper, or maybe some vegan Greek yogurt. A sprinkle of Italian seasoning or chopped parsley would be good too!
Serving Suggestions
I used large bell peppers for these, and one of them can easily serve a single person for dinner. That said, there’s no reason you can’t make additions:
- Tex Mex Add-Ons: You could chop up some avocado slices, dice tomatoes, etc. Serve them on the side, or as toppings.
- More Vegetables: Roasted veggies (asparagus, mushrooms, broccoli, squash, etc.) are a great side dish for stuffed peppers.
- Salad: I think a big green salad is a nice light addition to these bell peppers! It’s super easy, but hearty, too.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
These vegan stuffed bell peppers last great in the fridge – hello meal prep magic!!
Store them in an airtight Tupperware container for 3-4 days. To reheat, pop them in the microwave – or in the oven at 350 degrees F – until warmed through.
Can I Freeze These?
Sure! Freeze your leftover peppers in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before digging in again!
Enjoy friends! If you make these Vegan Stuffed Peppers, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Stuffed Peppers (Tex Mex Style)
Ingredients
Easy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Tex Mex Style)
- 6 large bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or olive oil or any oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ¾ cups black beans, or 1 can
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 3 cups cooked quinoa, or cooked rice
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 2 cups vegan mozzarella shreds, reserve ½ cup for the tops
Instructions
Easy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Tex Mex Style)
- Preheat your oven to 350℉/180℃. Set aside a casserole dish for the bell peppers.
- Slice the tops off of the bell peppers, and remove the insides and seeds. Place in casserole dish upright, tightly packed against each other. Set aside. Keep the tops to put on top once they're stuffed to go back into the oven.
- In a skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil. Add in the onions and garlic and sauté until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the black beans, corn, chili powder, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper, parsley and quinoa. Stir to combine. Add the marinara sauce and 1 ½ cups of the cheese on top in the pan. Stir again to combine and let sit until cheese has melted slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stuff each of the peppers with the mixture, packing them tightly. Sprinkle the cheese on top of the peppers. Top with the bell pepper tops.
- Bake for 40 minutes until tops are golden brown. You can also optionally lightly broil the tops.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Make the Quinoa/Rice Ahead: You can totally make the quinoa right before you make the peppers, but the night before works too, and saves time the next day. Either way, it’s easy and tastes great with all the other ingredients.
- Texture Tip: I love my peppers soft, but still intact. If you want them to be super soft and buttery, you can blanch the peppers in hot water before and then drain them. It’s totally up to you!
- Can I Grill These? Sure! Cooking the peppers for 40 minutes is more to soften the peppers than anything, but you could also do this on a grill if you want. Beautifully charred skin would go SO well with these.
- Switch Up the Flavors: That’s one of the best parts about stuffed peppers – they can be made Spanish, Tex Mex, pizza, or even Cuban style. It’s totally up to you!
- Diet Questions: This recipe is vegan and gluten free.
- To Store: You can store these peppers in an airtight Tupperware container in the fridge.
- To Reheat: You can reheat these in the microwave or in the oven at 350 until warmed through.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
More Vegan Dishes to Try
Looking for more easy vegan dinners to try? Check out these ones!
Made these last night, they were so amazing. I used WF frozen fire roasted corn and red bell peppers (instead of green), can’t wait to make again! Thank you!!
So easy and yummy!! The perfect dinner for malnourished and busy college students haha
Haha. Thanks so much Joey we appreciate the review.