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This vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe is a spin on my stuffed peppers with ground turkey. You get lentils and rice, a saucy tomato base, and a layer of gooey melted cheese to finish things off. Delicious, and totally worth making.
Stuffed peppers can be a bit underwhelming. But I assure you, these are not. A good stuffed pepper needs three things—something hearty inside, a sauce that actually has flavor, and enough cheese on top to earn it. Lentils, rice, vegetables, tomato sauce, and melted cheese. These have all of it!
Want to switch it up? Check out my seafood stuffed peppers. If an appetizer is what you’re after, taco stuffed mini peppers or sardine-stuffed mini peppers are always a hit.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Overview
A quick look at the essentials before we dive into the recipe card:
- Bell peppers: I love using a variety of colors for presentation. The only thing to note is that green bell peppers are a little more earthy and bitter, while yellow, orange, and red bell peppers are sweet.
- Lentils: Honestly, I go for canned lentils for convenience. But if you’re going the dry lentil route, opt for brown, green, or black (beluga)lentils. They hold their shape as they cook, providing a hearty, meaty texture. Red and yellow lentils are better for soups.
- Rice: Any rice will work here, but I love using a nice, fragrant basmati rice.
- Black olives: Optional—I know olives aren’t everyone’s jam! You can omit them.
- Tomato sauce: The flavorful sauce that keeps everything tender.
- Cheese: I like using provolone, but you could use mozzarella or even pepper jack!
How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Step 1: Roast the Bell Peppers
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the peppers in half and gut them. Brush each half with oil, then place them facing downward. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re tender and lightly blistered.
Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
Step 2: Cook the Filling
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender—about 5-7 minutes. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
Stir in the lentils, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, and black olives. Simmer for a few minutes, just to warm everything through.
Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Finally, add the tomato sauce and bring it to a low simmer, then remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 3: Fill the Peppers
Scoop the filling into the roasted peppers, then top each pepper with cheese.
Step 4: Broil the Peppers
Preheat the broiler to high.
Transfer the peppers to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling. This could take anywhere form 2-5 minutes, depending on your broiler, so keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
Step 5: Serve!
When the cheese has melted, remove the peppers from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley or basil, and serve.
Dana’s Recipe Tips
- If you choose dry lentils, cook them in broth instead of water for extra flavor.
- You can cook dry lentils or rice a day ahead to save time.
- I always end up with leftover lentil and rice mixture. It’s delicious reheated on its own, or you could stuff it into a tortilla or lettuce wrap.
Substitutions & Variations
- Grain options: Instead of rice, you could use quinoa or farro.
- Veggie-heavy option: Add diced zucchini or chopped baby spinach.
- Protein upgrade: Add 1/2-3/4 cup nutritional yeast to the mixture as it simmers. This adds 2 tablespoons of it per serving, providing an extra 5-8 grams of protein.
Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store the stuffed peppers in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Once the peppers have cooled, place them on a baking sheet and freeze for an hour or two to solidify, then wrap each pepper individually in plastic wrap. Place them in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the fridge the night before you plan to use them.
- Reheat: Heat the stuffed peppers in the microwave in 25-second increments until warmed through.
Sides for Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers With Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP avocado oil, divided
- 4 large bell peppers, cut into halves and gutted
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups cooked green or brown lentils, You can use a 15 oz can, drained; OR 1 cup of dried lentils prepared as per the directions on the package.
- 1 cup cooked rice, I love using basmati rice in this recipe; you could use any rice you like.
- 1 cup sliced black olives (optional)
- 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- Sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley or basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the peppers in half and gut them. Brush each half with oil, then place them facing downward. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they’re tender and lightly blistered.
- Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender—about 5-7 minutes. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
- Stir in the lentils, cooked rice, diced tomatoes, and black olives. Simmer for a few minutes, just to warm everything through.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Finally, add the tomato sauce and bring it to a low simmer, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Scoop the filling into the roasted peppers, then top each pepper with cheese.
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Transfer the peppers to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling. This could take anywhere from 2-5 minutes, depending on your broiler, so keep a close eye on them to prevent them from burning.
- When the cheese has melted, remove the peppers from the oven, garnish with fresh parsley or basil, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes to Try
Appetizers
Healthy Taco Stuffed Mini Peppers
Appetizers
Sardine-Stuffed Mini Peppers
Fish and Seafood
My favorite vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe!
I’m so happy to hear it!
Quick, easy, tasty and nutritious.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I made these exactly by the recipe and they were really good. I felt the recipe seemed a little sweet. Instead of regular diced tomatoes, I substituted diced tomatoes with habanieros. Wonderful!
This was delicious and very easy to make. Filling too. Thank you.
You’re so welcome, Amy!
Worked a treat! Cooked the peppers in the air fryer for 15 mins at 180C. Made the mix, added to the peppers, without taking them out of the airfryer and gave them 5 mins at 200C to colour the cheese (used Emmentaler as no Mozzarella to hand). Will do again!
Love that you were able to successfully make these in the air fryer! Thanks so much for the feedback :)
This recipe is amazing – the lentils and mushroom mix taste better than any meat stuffed pepper I’ve ever had. A simple and hearty meal for a cold winter night. I used kalmata olives in the mix – noted as optional – which enhanced the texture and taste. Best lentil entree ever!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Theresa! I agree, I love this filling more than any meat filling. It’s so much more flavorful! Thanks for the rating and the feedback :)