Stuffed Bell Peppers – Vegetarian Style

Hello All! This is my recipe for Stuffed Bell Peppers, Vegetarian Style. This meal is a work in progress, so I may update this article over time. Let me explain the work in progress:

I enjoy this meal. Stuffed peppers look great, be it halved or when all of the guts are stuffed into one pepper. It tastes good. And it is relatively low in calories. I prefer the whole bell pepper method. I like dishing out and cutting into a full bell pepper; it has a lower calorie density as well, compared to this half/boat bell pepper method. But my husband and daughter like it better this way. Family wins!

Like I said, I like the look of this meal. It looks good. At times I envy the people who can throw a party and have the perfect presentation. The table is built up nice with place settings, decorations and beautiful plates and table ware. And then the food!! The food looks beautiful. (Also looks like it took A LOT of time). (I happen to be recalling in my mind a specific baby shower as I write this. Betsey – I’m talking about you!) In my mind, this meal is my little cheat for making an eye pleasing, plate presentation. Which brings me to a short little story:

We had an impromptu get together with friends to hang out at the house and play table top games. Stuffed peppers was on my food calendar so I asked if it would be okay with them if I still worked off of my food calendar. They were cool with it so I began prepping, knowing full well that the couple that came over did not like raw onions – one detested raw onions. Not to fear, I figured, I will be cooking them in the oven with the stuffed pepper “meat”! And this is when I learned that cooked onions are not always cooked onions. I love onions! I love raw onions! You know what’s a delicacy? Raw onion slices dipped in 1000 island dressing. No other takers? No? Try it, I love it! Any way…the onions cooked in the oven with the stuffed bell pepper “meat” do not out a little hard and chewy, but I don’t mind it. Some people do…

I cooked the stuffed bell peppers exactly the same way I do it here, just kept the bell peppers whole instead of halved that time, and the look of disgust as our guest had to pick out all of the cooked-raw onions was a bit sad for a host.
“But I cooked them.” – Me
“These are raw.” – Him
“They were cooked in an oven.” – Me
*Angry Stare* – Him
So! If raw onions are a problem, you can saute them before you add them into the mix dish, and they will be cooked before you cook them again. : D

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of raw rice – cooked separately as directed on the package
• 2 Cans of beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 Jar of spaghetti sauce
• 2 Onions (Feel free to use less) diced (Saute if desired)
• 4-8oz Mushrooms, sliced/diced
• 4-8 Bell peppers, cleaned, halved, tops saved

“Let’s Do This”

Start preheating oven to 350.
*If you need to cook you onions, saute them in their own pan now – I will try this next time I make stuffed peppers.
I cooked 1 cup of rice as directed on the package. Put it in a bowl.

Add onions and mushrooms. I like onions, so I add a lot of them. You don’t have to if you don’t like them.

Add the beans. Make sure they are drained and rinsed. No need to mash!

Pour one jar of spaghetti sauce in the bowl. Remember, I am cheap, so I add a little water to the jar to shake out the last of the sauce. Feel free to do the same.

Stir.

Lay out your halved, cleaned, bell peppers into a baking dish. I used a cake pan because it is what I have. If you are making 4 stuffed peppers, the peppers should fit in 1 pan. You will have thick, buried, stuffed peppers. Anything more than 4 bell peppers and you should make 2 pans. The bell pepper boats will not have as much “meat” in them, but they will still taste great.

This is a good time to talk about bell peppers. I like green bell peppers, my husband does not. I also like the colored bell peppers (red, orange, yellow) and these are the only ones my husband will eat. (We have had purple bell peppers before and those were good too). Green bell peppers are a little bitter and the colored bell peppers are sweeter. I did a random search one time and found that the average bell pepper is 48 calories. I do not know if it is correct – but 100g of bell pepper = 24 calories. With it being so low in calories, we opted to find the variety we enjoyed eating.

Load the “meat” in and around the bell pepper boats.

Cover the cake pans with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
Done!

I think they taste great. It is an easy enough recipe. In my book it is healthy. You can change up the recipe by adding vegetables, herbs and seasoning to the mixing bowl. The sauce and the beans can be changed. And bell peppers are good for you! Here is the recipe again:

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Saute onions if desired.
3. Cook rice. Put in mixing bowl.
4. Add onions and mushrooms. (Diced)
5. Add beans. (Drained and rinsed)
6. Add sauce.
7. Stir.
8. Put bell pepper boats in oven safe dish.
9. Fill bell pepper boats with “meat” from the mixing bowl.
10. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
11. Removed foil and make an additional 15 minutes.

Let me know if you try this!
Do you like onions? Raw onions? Cooked? Onion rings only?
Let me know below!
Have a great one everybody!