Stuffed Bell Peppers

It’s about time I started sharing some delicious ideas for meals!

This week, my appreciation for stuffed peppers was rekindled. When I started cooking with vegetables more regularly several years ago, I was eating bell peppers consistently enough a few years in a row that I completely lost interest for significant period of time. I’ve slowly started eating them more often, and this is by far one of my favorite ways to eat them! I love that it’s easy to switch up the ingredients in the filling or toppings. It’s fun to have a cute and nutritious edible cup with a solid portion inside as well (depending on the size of the pepper, and whether they are cut in half or left whole).

Other perks include how fast and easy they are to make and how convenient they can be for meal preparation – either freezing extra portions or packing them in the refrigerator in airtight containers with other side dishes for lunch or dinner for the upcoming days. They can be frozen before they are baked or afterward, try both and see which one you prefer. Oftentimes, I already have rice made in the rice cooker, or have moved it to a container in the refrigerator so its easy to heat up whenever I’m ready to cook. If I don’t have any cooked, I generally try to get it started earlier in the day so I’m not waiting when I’m ready for it.

My favorite base filling, like with bowls and burritos, is rice and beans or some other kind of legume. As I mentioned in the Plant Protein Workshop, having a combination of a grain with a legume ensures complete proteins in the meal, if that is ever a concern. I usually keep it simple with onions, garlic, a green like spinach or kale, nutritional yeast, cumin or chili powder, salt and pepper. You can get as creative as you’d like, adding diced tomatoes, corn, quinoa, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, or any others. You can use Italian, Mexican, Asian or any other seasoning blend, vegetable bouillon, other flavors you like best. Heck, you could even make a pizza-style filling! Of course, keeping it simple and let all the ingredients you choose shine on their own is always a wonderful option as well. It’s all about having fun and finding meals you are excited to eat and incorporate into your week!

Ingredients:
3 each                   Bell Peppers (any color you like)
2 cups                   Cooked Rice
1 can (15oz)        Beans (or other legume)
4 stalks                 Kale
⅓– ½                     Red Onion
2-4                         Garlic Cloves
¼ cup                    Nutritional Yeast
1 TB                       Chili powder (or seasoning blend with cumin)
½ tsp                     Salt
½ tsp                     Pepper

Topping ideas:
– Cold or melted plant-based cheeses (I like cold Miyoko’s Mozzarella)
– Cashew cheese sauce
– Plant-based sour cream and green onions
– A cheesy/crunchy nutritional yeast and breadcrumb topping
– Gravy
– Pasta sauce
– Salsa

Side dish ideas:
– Sweet potato fries
– Green salad
– Roasted vegetables (asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, potatoes, etc)

Cooking Suggestions
Preheat oven to 400°F
1. Heat pan on medium. Add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic. Let cook until it starts to soften.
2. Add rice, beans, seasonings and chopped kale. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to med-low.
3. Prepare peppers by cutting out the top and seeds. Leave whole or cut in half.
4. Once everything is heated, stir together and turn the heat off.
5. Fill peppers and add toppings you’d like heated.
6. Bake for 15-30 minutes, depending on how firm or soft you like the peppers.
7. Top with any cold toppings and serve with side dishes.

Enjoy!
– Laura
@heartcenteredholistic