Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
These vegetarian stuffed peppers are inspired by Mexican cuisine! This recipe features bell peppers with pinto beans, rice and fresh veggies.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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These stuffed peppers aren’t the kind your mom made. They’re meatless and loaded with fresh flavor. They’re cheesy as shown, yes, but they’re just as good without the cheese. You can easily make these peppers dairy free or vegan.
Most stuffed peppers are made with Italian seasonings, but I went in a different direction. I was inspired to incorporate some of my favorite Mexican ingredients, including pinto beans, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime, chili powder and cumin. The filling is so tasty, I could eat it as a side dish! These peppers are somewhat time consuming, but each element is simple to make.
The trick to making great stuffed peppers is to slice the peppers in half from the stem end down through the base. Then, pre-roast the halves until they’re tender and a bit caramelized at the sliced edges. This way, their flavor is condensed and their texture is just right—not too crisp, but not falling apart.
Please do yourself a favor and cook extra brown rice while you’re at it. Then, you’ll be one step closer to dinner tomorrow night—say, Extra Veggie Fried Rice or any of these rice-based dishes. High five!
How to Make Stuffed Peppers
You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s the gist:
- Roast the peppers.
- Cook the rice (unless you’re using leftover cooked rice).
- Cook the filling, adding the rice and beans at the end.
- Stuff the peppers and top with cheese.
- Bake and serve!
These peppers are a great meal to prepare in advance. You can get a head start by cooking the rice and prepping the peppers. Or assemble them completely, then cover and refrigerate for later. This would be a great dish to drop off at a friend’s house with baking instructions (about 12 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit).
Watch How to Make Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed Pepper Serving Suggestions
These stuffed peppers are a balanced meal in their own right, featuring whole grains, veggies and beans for additional protein and fiber. Here are a few side dishes that would complement the meal:
- Black Beans (From Scratch!)
- Chunky Avocado Salsa
- Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
- Fresh Corn Salsa
- Guacamole
- Herbed Avocado Salad
- Mexican Green Salad with Jalapeño-Cilantro Dressing (or a simplified version of it)
More Hearty Mexican-Inspired Recipes
If you enjoy these stuffed peppers, you’ll also appreciate these recipes:
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Epic Vegetarian Tacos
- Pinto Posole
- Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
- Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
Please let me know how your stuffed peppers turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
These vegetarian stuffed peppers are inspired by my favorite Mexican dishes! This recipe features roasted bell peppers filled with a flavorful combination of pinto beans, brown rice and fresh veggies, topped with melted cheese (optional). This recipe yields 8 stuffed peppers, enough for 4 main dish servings or 8 sides.
Ingredients
Roasted peppers
- 4 large red bell peppers, halved from stem to base, seeds and membranes removed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, for sprinkling
Filling and topping
- ½ cup long-grain brown rice (or 1 ½ cups cooked rice)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (1 ½ cups) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 4 ounces (about 1 cup) grated part-skim mozzarella or cheddar
- Optional garnishes: Sliced ripe avocado or guacamole, perhaps a drizzle of cilantro-hemp pesto, red salsa, sour cream or vegan sour cream
Instructions
- To roast the peppers: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the halved peppers in a large 9 by 13-inch baking dish, or on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the peppers and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Use your hands to rub the oil all over both sides of the peppers, then arrange them with the cut sides facing up. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the peppers are a little blistered around the edges and easily pierced through by a fork. Set aside. Leave the oven on for baking the peppers.
- In the meantime, cook the rice: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh colander until the water runs clear. Add the rice to the boiling water and continue boiling, uncovered, for 30 minutes (reduce the heat as necessary to prevent overflow). Drain off the remaining cooking water and return the rice to the pot. Set aside.
- Prepare the filling: In a large skillet over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they’re lightly squishy, another 5 minutes or so.
- Add the cilantro, garlic, chili powder and cumin. While stirring, cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the rice, beans, lime juice and about 10 twists of black pepper. Stir to combine, then season with additional salt (I usually add ¼ teaspoon) and black pepper, to taste.
- To stuff the peppers, first pour off any excess juice pooled within the peppers. Then stuff each pepper generously with the rice mixture (if the peppers were truly large, you should have just the right amount of filling—if you have extra, save it to serve as a side dish). Top the peppers with the cheese.
- Bake at 425 for 12 to 13 minutes, until the cheese is golden in spots. Serve warm with fresh cilantro leaves on top or any other garnishes of your choice. Leftovers keep well in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. I believe they would freeze well for several months, but haven’t tried to be sure.
Notes
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the cheese, and cover the baking dish during its final stint in the oven. I recommend topping the finished peppers with something creamy or saucy, like guacamole, cilantro-hemp pesto or vegan sour cream.
Prepare in advance: This dish is a bit time consuming, though it’s not difficult. You could make the rice in advance, and/or prep the peppers so they are ready to pop in the oven later. You could even assemble the peppers completely and refrigerate, covered, until you’re ready to bake (they will likely need a few extra minutes in the oven to warm through).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
My husband I love this stuffed pepper recipe. I could eat it again this week. Yum! It is very good. It wasn’t that hard to make. I look for recipes that we can make ahead and have for the week. It worked well. I appreciate the tips in the recipes. Also the alternatives that we can change up if we need to. Thanks again for providing such tasty recipes.
You’re welcome, Laurie! I’m happy you enjoy this stuffed peppers recipe and others.
So so delicious!!!! One of mine & my partners favourite dishes to have for lunch or dinner. So flavourful and nutritious! I have passed this recipe on to family and friends and they can’t get enough either! Thanks so much!
I’m glad you loved it, Laura!
I have made this twice and we love it ! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Marg!
This was delicious! I subbed brown rice and left out the cilantro. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thank you!
Made these twice, switch brown rice with mixed wild rice. Topped with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and your cashew sour cream recipe for a delicious vegan meal.
Thank you for sharing, Vanda! I’m glad you loved it.
Since I first read this recipe, I’ve made them with various twists on the filling, and they’ve all been very good.
For me, two crucial takeaways have stuck: use red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (all so much better than green!), and pre-roast the peppers.
I used to steam them to precook them before stuffing, but roasting them is way better.
This recipe is hugely versatile, and I love the fact that several steps can be done in advance (like prepping and pre-roasting the peppers and even making the filling).
I love that! Thank you for sharing, Connie.
Amazing!! heading to Target to buy your cookbook
Hooray! I hope you love it. :)
I used to parboil the peppers so I was looking for a recipe for alternate ideas and came across yours. I mostly followed it, but used some of my own ideas, such as adding a jar of salsa and I used black beans. A great vegetarian dish!
Thank you for sharing, Gail!
I made this but used pasilla peppers instead of red.
I had bought a bag of four pasilla peppers last week that were on closeout/distressed. I’m not quite sure why they were with the distressed produce because they were in great shape and looked as good as the ones with the regular produce. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to use them for but I will often buy produce that I can get a good deal on and then figure out what I will use it for. Two of them I used in a Bulgarian pepper casserole along with some other assorted peppers. I saved the two largest ones for this recipe.
I only used two peppers to make four halves since it was just my wife and me. I did slightly modify the recipe. It was a little more than half of the filling incredients that I used. I went with 1/3 cup of brown rice and a full can of pinto beans. I originally was going to cook up some pinto beans in the instant pot but started too late and used canned instead. Since I had more rice and beans than 1/2 of the recipe, I also added a few more tomatoes and increased the other ingredients slightly. I didn’t measure the extra amount – just guesstimated. My wife isn’t a big cilantro fan so I went light with that and added a bit of ground coriander. I had extra cilantro at the table to add to mine. I also used shredded colby jack cheese. The end result was that these peppers were very stuffed but I used all of the filling. We had sliced avocados with that were perfectly ripe on the side. They were maybe a day or two away from being good for guacamole and were like butter.
These were very good and will definitely be made again. I’ll use red peppers next time. I was a bit surprised with the heat from the peppers. Pasilla peppers are usually not hot at all. The hottest ones are usually only as hot as the mildest jalepeno peppers. When I used the other peppers in the Bulgarian pepper casserole, I did not notice any heat all. Either these peppers were hotter to begin with or the roasting brought out the heat. They were spicy enough for me to get a bit of a sweat going. We had them wth a light Sangiovese which was very good but with the heat a cold beer or margarita may have been better. A Sangiovese or Monastrell would go well with these if the peppers weren’t as spicy. Good stuff!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
These are insanely good! We had them with guests last night and everyone was raving about them.
That’s great, Cora! Thank you for your review.
My granddaughter is a vegetarian. I made these so she could join me when she comes home. I usually made pepper recipes made with ground beef, chicken or turkey. Just made them absolutely the best stuffed peppers I have ever made.
I’m happy she enjoyed them, Elaine!
I made this tonight for dinner as I had a lot of peppers to use up and it did not disappoint. They were full of flavour and so enjoyable.I’m going to try freezing as you suggested.
This recipe will definitely become a regular menu item in my house. I’m looking forward to leftovers for lunch this week!
Wonderful to hear, Taylor! Thank you for your comment.
I just made your Peppers and they are delicious!!! Thank you for this recipe :)
That’s great to hear, Zuzanna!
Please advise why we need to roast pepper before baking them? Can we just add the filling in the pepper and then bake them?
Thank you so much.
All the recipes here are very yummy.
Hi Ilona, You will over cook them otherwise and can have less than idea results with the moisture released while the peppers initially cook. I hope that helps.
OMG! These are delicious; even my picky, non-vegetarian husband loved them. The peppers were roasted to perfection. I have made this before and had to make a few changes this time but it was divine. We’ve had rice several times this week so used quinoa & 1/2 bag of soy protein crumbles to up the protein. I was out of tomatoes so used canned fire-roasted tomatoes and it worked well (was not soupy as I feared but I probably cooked it a bit longer (didn’t time it)). We have a lactose intolerant/allergy so used plant-based mozzarella for cheese. Husband is requesting that I make this again.
I’m happy to hear that, Elizabeth! Thank you for your review.
Do you have the nutritional information? Thanks…
Hi Julie! It’s below the recipe nots of the recipe. I hope you enjoy these stuffed peppers!
I made these tonight and they were excellent! I used parley instead of cilantro and added a little bit of break crumbs and an egg to bind the ingredients some. Very tasty.
I’m excited you loved them, Gerry! I appreciate your review.
Hi!
These stuffed peppers are more than delicious! I doubled the garlic, replaced the Chile powder with a 4 oz. can of dried green Chiles, used refried beans instead of the pinto beans, and used grated cojita cheese. I mixed the cojita cheese in with the mixture and generously sprinkled the stuffed peppers with more cheese.
Thank you for sharing, Susan!
Thank you for this! I have a vegetarian son and am so glad for a new idea. He ate 4 halves! We both loved them. Def worth the time.
That’s great! I’m glad he loved these peppers too.
Freaking delicious ….made it about 4 times already…Girl…the best stuffed peppers recipe ever. Big Hug.
Thank you, Theresa! I’m happy you loved it.
There is no way that these peppers cook through all the way with a short cooking time listed here.
I made this recipe for dinner and it was really delicious! I love the balance of flavors, especially the tangy kick of lime. Also, it is a good balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Thank you, Kate, I look forward to making it again!
I’m happy you loved it, Justine! Thank you for your review.
We make these almost every week. Taste great, easy to make and my husband loves them too.
I have been looking for a great stuffed peppers recipe for years, and didn’t find anything. Two days ago I came across this one, and let me tell you this is the only recipe I will ever need. The flavors are so on point, and it was so filling. I will be eating this for the next few days.
Hooray! I’m glad you love it, Kay. Thank you for your review.
These were absolutely delicious!! So flavorful – wow. You never disappoint Kate. Thank you again for an amazingly delicious recipe that’s healthy and filling. You are the BEST! :)
xo,
Patty
Great to hear, Patty! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This was a huge hit in my house tonight. This is the second recipe I tried from your site (enchiladas were delicious too). Thanks for putting together such delicious and creative supper ideas.
Hooray! I love to hear that.
Am I missing the bean ingredient in this recipe…I see pintos mentioned but do not see it in the actual recipe lineup…sorry I have to have the exact recipe to follow
Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Love the versatility of this dish – used quinoa instead of rice, black beans instead of pinto, and eliminated the cilantro – it was fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe, this one’s a keeper!
Thank you, Rachel! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Great recipe! Substituted quinoa for the rice. Loved adding pinto beans. This will be on our meal rotation.Thanks!
You’re welcome, Connie! Thank you for your review.
That was absolutely delicious, thank you so much! I made a low histamine alternative, used baked potato pieces instead of beans and vinegar instead of tomatoes, but left the seasoning and the method as you suggested. Goat cheese on top, yum :).
You’re welcome, Ciliegia! Thank you for taking the time to review.
The perfect recipe for Autumn. Extra peppers, a glut of cherry tomatoes combined with pantry staples. It was delicious and in this time of rising food costs, very inexpensive. Well written, easy to follow and a hit at my house.
These wee soooo delicious. I looked forward to eating them every day – also super easy to make. I’d recommend this recipe to anyone!
OMG! These vegetarian stuffed peppers were phenomenal! My daughter is a gluten free vegetarian, so I am always looking for recipes that she can eat. This one was definitely a keeper…sooooo delicious! I love the fact that you also included some side dish recommendations! Thank you!
I’m excited you loved them, Michelle! I appreciate your review.
Made this for dinner, a great recipe. Used round rice instead of brown rice, and no beans, lime juice or chili pepper (picky eaters to contend with.) Turned out delicious, will definitely make again. Photo here:
I rarely use internet recipes. This was a great start. Excellent. So easy if you do it in stages throughout the day.
I used rinsed tinned black beans and orzo for the rice. Tinned drained tomatoes would be fine. Fresh lime juice essential.
Served with avacado and sour cream.
Delicious.
Easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! On the menu again tomorrow!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Lenore! I appreciate your review.
The filling for this was SO GOOD. I’m glad I tried that on its own because it was just soso with the peppers. I would definitely make the filling again but would have it be a side and skip the pepper part.
I agree! The filling is so good even on it’s own. Thank you for your review, Elizabeth.
I halved this recipe for just the 2 of us and it was really great! I added vegan sour cream mixed with lime juice and avocado on top, with some nutritional yeast instead of the cheese. Then we put some Cholula on it before eating. I will make this again with pleasure! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Shirley! Thank you for your review.
Fantastic recipe! I’ve made this with cous cous as well as with quinoa as substitutes for rice, add corn, and add more chilli powder, garlic, and cumin. Will be adding this to the recipe box as a new favourite.
I made these for dinner tonight and my husband and I loved them.I topped 4 of ours with dairy free mozzarella shreds from Trader Joe’s and the other 4 with violife cheddar shreds. Thank you for sharing
Just made these. Had to get creative had a can of diced tomatoes with chilis added a nice kick also diced zucchini
I am a terrible cook but I really wanted stuffed peppers. I am also trying to eat plant based as much as possible. I found this recipe online. It was time consuming but easy. The results were amazing. I have already made them a second time!
Great to hear Bethanie!
Amazing! Wrapped and froze them individually. They warm up perfectly in a microwave for a quick lunch. Thanks!
I made these last night using red, orange and yellow bell peppers. It makes for a beautiful presentation for guests, and then my guests devoured the entire platter! This recipe goes into the rotation for sure. Of note – instead of cherry tomatoes I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with medium green chilies as we like a bit of heat. delicious! Your recipes never disappoint, thank you.
I love the versatility of this recipe, the peppers are full of flavor! I follow the recipe as-is and I like to top them with Supremo chihuahua cheese, cheddar, and add some slices of avocado. Someone in the comments suggested using the leftover filling in burritos and I’m so glad I did! I reheat any filling that’s leftover, add chihuahua cheese, and heat on a skillet until the sides are golden brown. I’ve also tried it with chips, I’m sure it would make for a good nacho recipe!
I’m glad you made it too, Soraya! I appreciate you sharing.
Loved these. So delicious. I’m going to make for my son, who is vegan. I know they will be a staple at his home. A few steps, but so easy to do. Well worth the effort
This recipe is yummylicious! I made the rice in advance and then threw this together for dinner – super quick and easy. One of my new favorites!
I love it when the stars align and a recipe uses everything I’m needing to use up in the fridge. I had some bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and spring onions, so I tried this recipe today. I was skeptical about the filling but it was PERFECT. This will be my go-to recipe for Spanish rice now as well.
I’m glad you loved it, Kinara!
I’m going to make this, but instead of eliminating the cheese just going to use vegan mozzarella shreds. This sounds delectable!
Love this meal! I make it with frozen brown rice from Whole Foods – which makes the process much quicker! Thanks for a great recipe!
Great to hear, Christy! Thank you for your review.