Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Rice, Mushrooms & Chickpeas

These vegetarian stuffed peppers with rice make a delicious dinner that's simple and easy to make. The stuffing mixture also contains mushrooms and chickpeas for added flavour and goodness. 

These colourful vegetarian stuffed peppers with rice are packed full of flavour and goodness.  They are low in fat but high in protein and fibre. 

Vegetarian stuffed peppers ingredients

I wanted to add colour to this recipe so opted for red, green and yellow bell peppers but you can just use one type of pepper if you prefer. The filling ingredients include rice, chickpeas, garlic, onion and mushrooms. I also added fresh parsley, onion granules and a small amount of cheddar cheese (to help keep the filling mixture together) for more flavour.

Top tip

It is very important to season the filling mixture generously (taste it before stuffing the peppers) as well as lightly season the inside of each pepper.

How to prepare the peppers

There are several ways of preparing peppers for stuffing.  One is to cut it in half from the top and stuff 2 halves separately (this method allows to cook the peppers quite quickly and worked well in my turkey stuffed peppers recipe).

Another method is to remove the top by cutting through the width of the pepper.  The problem with this method is that  a good chunk of your pepper is wasted and you'll end up with smaller stuffed peppers.

I prefer to cut out the top to create an opening for the filling to go in (as in the photo above).  This way you can fill the entire pepper with the stuffing mixture then put the top back on to ensure all the moisture stays inside.

Make ahead

Stuffed peppers do take some time to bake but you can shorten preparation time by cooking the individual ingredients (i.e. rice, onion and mushrooms) and once cooled refrigerating them overnight. 

Alternatively prepare the entire filling mixture, stuff the peppers and refrigerate inside the casserole dish until you are ready to bake it. (Ensure the filling has cooled completely before stuffing the peppers). 

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1.Boil the rice in salted water about 5 minutes less than specified on the pack instructions ( a little al dente). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. In the meantime prepare the peppers by cutting out the tops and removing the seeds (do not discard the tops).

2. Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil for 3-4 minutes until softened, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, or until the water has been absorbed. Season to taste.  Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C/ gas mark 4.

3. In a mixing bowl combine the rice (once cooled) with the mushroom mixture, chickpeas, parsley, grated cheese and onion granules.  Stir thoroughly and adjust the seasoning if needed.

4. Stuff the peppers with the mixture packing in well, cover the peppers with their tops, place in your casserole dish and drizzle with a little oil.

5. Bake for 1-1.5 hours, according to preference.  Remove from the oven, set aside for 5 minutes, then serve.

Top tips and FAQs

• Peppers: Use any colour bell peppers you like.
• Seasoning: It is important to season the filling ingredients well before stuffing the peppers so be liberal especially with the pepper. Don't forget to also lightly season the inside of the peppers before stuffing them.
• Use a casserole dish approx. 6 cm deep and arrange the peppers nice and snug inside for stability.
• Cooking time in this recipe is flexible and really depends on individual preference.  I like my peppers quite soft so I can easily remove their skin.  I tend to keep them in the oven for about 1 and ½ hours, but you can take them out sooner (but cook for at least 45 minutes).
• Best served immediately.  Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
• Freezing: Once cooled place in a plastic container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Substitutions

• Rice: Use either white or brown rice.
• Chickpeas: Substitute white or black beans.
• Cheese: I used mature cheddar cheese but any strong tasting cheese will do.

Optional extras

This simple stuffed peppers recipe is very adaptable and you can add a different twist to it every time you make it.  It's delicious as it is but you can add 1-2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs or chili, cumin, coriander/nutmeg (and use cilantro instead of the parsley) for more of a Mexican/Moroccan twist.

Serving suggestions

These stuffed peppers with rice make a delicious stand alone vegetarian meal but you can also serve them along with hasselback sweet potatoes, celery root puree, steamed or boiled vegetables. 

You might also like

• Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers with Feta
• Vegan Mushroom Cabbage Rolls with Lentil & Rice
• Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini Casserole
• Vegetarian Spinach & Feta Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Check out also this collection of healthy vegetarian pasta meals for more easy vegetarian cooking inspiration!

Keep in touch!

If you make this stuffed peppers with rice recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Did you use different herbs? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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