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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 onions, 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 onions, 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.
This came out so delicious. I omitted the tomato sauce, and used black lentils(cooked in broth) and wild rice. Definitely a recipe we will repeat!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Cam! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This looks great!
Tomato sauce; is that like a crushed tomato or passata type sauce?
Hi Nikki! Pasta sauce, like marinara, is what I mean by tomato sauce. Hope that helps! Sorry if it wasn’t clear.
Hello
Can these be prepared overnight and then cooked on the day?
Thank you
Hi Marlow, absolutely! Hope you enjoy. Let me know how it goes :)
Delicious
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Everything came together well! I omitted the onions, olives, regular cheese (used vegan cheese) canned tomatoes (diced up fresh ones) and added more seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder).
I’m so glad it went well!
Wow, not only does this dish look pretty, but it’s absolutely delicious as well! We had this for dinner last night and we were so satisfied!
I’m so happy, DK!
Appreciated that these came together quickly, and the flavors were on point. Going into our meatless monday repertoire!
Amazing! Thanks for the feedback, Erik!
Thank you for shafing this, I was recntly looking for a healthy food for my diet and this was very good.
Happy to help, Chara!
This was such an easy, delicious recipe. We had it for dinner last night, and we loved it.
Awesome to hear, Beth! Thanks!
These were so good – loved the black olives in there and the cheesy mozzarella topping. Will make again soon!
We love olives in this house, too! But some people are really offended by them, lol. Glad you enjoyed this :)