These delicious and healthy Italian Stuffed Peppers are made with brown rice, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and vegan cheese. The result is just amazing.
If you already have your rice cooked then the cooking time reduces a lot, and you can use other grains like quinoa, wild rice, farro. For more protein you can also add in some black beans.
Let’s go!
Gluten-free, Nut-free, Sugar-free.
Time: 1 hour
Yield: 3 people
Ingredients
4 bell peppers – sliced in half lengthwise, stems and seeds removed
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups (200 gr) mushrooms, chopped.
1 yellow onion, diced
1 can (400 ml) diced tomatoes with their juices
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (or any herbs you want)
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 cup (200 gr) brown rice
1 1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese ( I used vegan mozarella)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Toppings (optional)
Chili flakes
Fresh basil
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. and prepare the peppers placing them cut side up on the baking sheet. Set aside.
2. Cook your rice according to instructions on the package.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion a pinch of salt and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook until their juices have reduced. Add smoked paprika and cayenne and cook for half a minute.
6. Add diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and cooked brown rice to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes.
7. Remove the skillet from heat, add in the half cup of vegan cheese and combine with your spatula.
8. Stuff each half of your peppers gently with a spoon and sprinkle with a generous amount of shredded cheese.
8. Put the peppers in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with fresh basil and chili flakes and serve immediately.
By the way…
You can sub any whole grain for the brown rice (quinoa, wild rice or farro would work well), I like using brown rice because is highly nutritious (1), but quinoa must be delicious too.
I recommend to consume the peppers immediately, so adjust the amount you are going to cook. When kept, the peppers create too much moist and the mozzarella hardens, so the result even after reheating them has nothing to do with the ones eaten right after cooked 🙂
