So bright and colorful, these Vegan Stuffed Peppers have eye-appeal as well as tons of flavor. They are stuffed with a blend of wild rice that has been seasoned to perfection.
To do this, 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
Begin by thoroughly rinsing the rice before cooking. I use a rice rinser bowl which is also great for washing other small grains such as quinoa. Set the clean rice to the side.
Dice up the onion and mince the garlic. Then gather the spices needed that include curry powder, cinnamon, sage, and cloves.
Heat 3 Tbsp veggie broth or water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add more broth if necessary.
Add the rice, curry powder, cinnamon, sage, clove, and salt and stir for about 1 minute.
Next, add the rest of the veggie broth and bring it to a simmer. Cover and stir occasionally, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed approximately 30-45 minutes. Plain wild rice will take the full 45 minutes where a blend of rice like I use will take less time and less liquid. Different blends of rice may vary in cooking times and broth or water requirements.
Remove lid and check to see if the rice is tender.
I like to reduce the heat to low and allow any extra moisture to cook out for about 1-2 minutes. Then, remove the pan from the heat.
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 wild rice blend stuffing until they are heaped up. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley before serving.
Video
Notes
Pro tips for making vegan stuffed peppers
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.
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 prepare them ahead of time and reheated in the oven later.
Variations- If you love peppers, you might also want to try my Mexican Stuffed Peppers that are topped with an easy vegan queso.
Holiday & Entertaining- These healthy stuffed peppers make a beautiful and tasty addition to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter holiday meals. They are so colorful, they brighten up any table!