Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Whenever I make stuffed peppers I kick myself for not doing it more often.
Plump, gorgeous bell peppers filled to the brim with rice, beans or couscous are so easy to make and they look amazing.
They can brighten up a week night supper or hold their own on an alternative Christmas table.
When these beautiful juicy red bell peppers arrived in my veg box this week, I knew exactly what to do with them!
You can use any of the sweet bell peppers for this recipe. Red, yellow and orange will give you a sweet sensation while green offers up a little bitterness which offsets the sultanas in the rice really well.
How To Stuff Peppers
Peppers are one of the easiest vegetables to stuff as they hold their shape nicely and have a nice big cavity just crying out for filling.
You can either lop their tops off and fill them up or cut them in half as I have. I find this method less fiddly.
Just cut them in half from top to bottom, remove the seeds and you’re ready to go!
You can fill them immediately but I part roasted these first both because they were very large, and because the rice filling doesn’t need oven cooking for long.
Fifteen minutes in a hot oven is enough to start the roasting process. While they were in there I finished off making the filling.
Now it’s time to combine filling and pepper bowls to make delicious stuffed peppers ready for their final bake.
Vegan Stuffed Peppers – Tips and Tricks
While this is not a complicated recipe to make these simple tips and tricks will make it even easier!
- Choose nice big, plump peppers with no bruises or soft bits.
- Pop them into a lightly greased roasting tin. A snug fit is best to help them to hold their shape.
- Roast peppers for 15 minutes in a 200C/390F oven until slightly softened.
- Stuff peppers generously with your filling.
- Roast for a further 10 minutes or until the filling is piping hot and the peppers are just beginning to brown at the edges.
Spiced Rice Filling
I’ve been making this spiced rice for as long as I can remember. It was one of the recipes I used for the food served at our evening wedding reception in 1994!
It is simple to make and complements so many dishes but its also very capable of holding its own.
I serve it hot with curries, cold for picnics and pop it into accommodating vegetables.
It is made with gently fried onions, garlic, ginger and chilli, flavoured with garam masala and finished off with toasted nuts and sultanas.
Full of flavour and texture, it is a perfect companion for these beautiful peppers.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan stuffed peppers make a really good lunch just as they are. If you are serving them up as a main meal you can add some delicious extras. You could try:
- A platter of roasted vegetables. Try tenderstem broccoli, carrots, beetroot and red onions for a flavour and colour explosion!
- Garlic mushrooms and a crunchy Beetroot Salad.
- A generous slice of Hummus and Carrot Tart or a Herby Vegan Omelette.
I served mine up with refried beans, shredded lettuce and avocado and tomato salsa for a Mexican vibe!
More Red Pepper Recipes
If you have peppers to spare or have been hit with a pepper craving you might also like:
- Aubergine Pizza with Peppers and Tomatoes
- Vegan Tart with Roasted Vegetables and Smoked Garlic
- Roast Cauliflower Salad with Sweet Pepper Salsa
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Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Spiced Rice
Ingredients
For the Peppers
- 2 large red peppers halved and deseeded
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
For the Spiced Rice Filling
- 100 g basmati rice rinsed
- 190 ml water
- 1 medium onion peeled, halved, sliced into thin half moons
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 g red skinned peanuts
- 10 g unsalted cashew nuts
- 10 g flaked almonds
- 10 g sultanas
- chopped chives to serve
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200C/390F
- Gently heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add onions and cook gently with the lid on for 20 - 20 minutes until softened and browning. Stir occasionally.
- While onions are cooking lightly grease a roasting tin with a little oil. Place peppers cut side up in the tin and roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until just beginning to soften.
- Add rinsed and drained rice to the cooked onions and fry for a minute or two until toasted.
- Add garlic, ginger, garam masala to the rice and stir through. Fry for a further minute.
- Add water and salt, bring to boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook with the lid on for 10 minutes without peeping. Turn heat off and leave to stand, covered for a further 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Add the peanuts and cashews and fry until just browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen roll.
- Add the sultanas to the frying pan and fry for a couple of minutes until they swell. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen roll.
- Finally add the slivered almonds and fry for a few seconds until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen roll.
- Stir the fruits and nuts through the cooked rice. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Fill each pepper half generously with cooked rice and return them to the oven for 10 minutes or until the peppers are just beginning to brown at the edges and the filling is piping hot.
- Top with a few chopped chives and serve.
