Mexican Stuffed Peppers are an amazingly flavorful main dish at my house. Loaded with rice, beans, veggies, and warm seasonings, they are hearty and perfect for family dinners and even entertaining guests.
Wash the peppers and then slice them in half and remove the seeds. In the post above, I list 3 different options for ways to slice them.
To roast the peppers, preheat the oven to 400°F and place the halved peppers cut-side-up in a baking dish and add about 1/4 cup water to help prevent sticking. Bake for approximately 20 minutes to the point where the peppers begin to brown a little around the edges. While they are roasting is a good time to prepare the stuffing.
Making the Stuffing
This recipe is great for using leftover rice because it’s already cooked and saves a step. If you don’t already have cooked rice on hand, you’ll need to make some for this stuffing.
Saute the diced onions and garlic in approximately 3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water. As the onions begin to brown, add a little more broth as needed to prevent sticking.
If using canned beans, drain and rinse them before adding them to the pan with the onions. Go ahead and add the cooked brown rice, fire-roasted tomatoes with the juice, and spices.
Stir the stuffing seasonings and mix well. Next, toss in fresh cilantro and mix it well to distribute it nicely. Remove from heat and get ready to stuff the peppers.
Once the baked peppers are cool enough to handle, it’s time to stuff them. You may notice that there is excess water in the pepper halves, and you’ll want to use a paper towel to soak up that moisture before adding the filling.
Fill each of the roasted bell pepper halves with the stuffing until they are heaped up. Serve as is, or add any toppings such as homemade vegan cheeses like Mozzarella and Nacho Cheese. More great topping ideas include sour cream, fresh cilantro, avocado slices, and jalapeno.
Queso Cheese (optional)
Begin by deciding whether you would like to use raw cashews or white beans for the base. Personally, I love the cashew version because the flavor is out of this world. However, I understand completely that some folks have nut allergies or heart disease and are staying away from nuts.
If you are using cashews, you'll need to soak them in very hot water for 1 hour or overnight or at least 6 hours in cool water.
If you're using white beans, they will need to be cooked first unless they are from a can. If they are from a can, remember to drain the liquid and rinse them well.
Once the cashews have soaked and become softened, add all of the ingredients to a blender and process on high until smooth.
Next, simply pour the blended cheese ingredients from the blender or food processor into a saucepan. Begin slowly heating and whisking together as it warms. This will happen quite quickly. Do not leave it unattended because it needs to be stirred nearly constantly until it reaches the desired thickness and stretchiness.
Video
Notes
Special tips & suggestions
Precooking Peppers- Though some recipes don’t call for precooking the bell peppers and others suggest boiling them, I highly suggested pre-roasting them instead. Roasting brings out a robust flavor that can’t be achieved by boiling, and precooking the pepper makes for a much more tender dish.
Watery Peppers- After roasting the peppers, you will likely notice a little water in each of the halves due to the pepper releasing some of its water content during the cooking process. Simply use a paper towel to blot them dry before stuffing them.
Baking Twice- Some recipes call for returning the stuffed peppers to the oven to cook a second time after stuffing them, but I haven’t found this to be beneficial. The only reason I can see to cook them twice would be if you wanted to melt or brown the cheese a little bit. These can be prepared 24-hours ahead of time and reheated in the oven later.
Cilantro Haters- I happen to absolutely love cilantro but understand some folks don’t share my passion for it. The cilantro can be left out completely or substitute parsley for a topping instead.
Dishes to Pair with Peppers- There are plenty of dishes that compliment Mexican stuffed peppers such as Mexican Corn, Vegan Nachos, and Tacos.