Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers With A Smoked Paprika Filling

When making this delicious vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe, I like to boil the peppers for a few minutes first before putting them in the oven. This ensures that they stay juicy and succulent, and don’t dry out while they’re cooking. Also, the peppers are quite substantial and filling – I usually just serve one per person along with a crisp side salad for a tasty meat-free main meal.

Preparation Time 10 mins – Cooking Time 40 mins – Makes 4 stuffed peppers

4 large bell peppers for stuffing, colors of your choice

1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced

1 medium onion, finely diced

half a zucchini (courgette), finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

200g brown rice

75g grated cheddar cheese

4 teaspoons of smoked paprika

2 vegetable stock cubes

Good handful of fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

Olive oil

Method

1. Dissolve a vegetable stock cube in a large pan of boiling water. Add the brown rice and cook for the time indicated on the packet, usually 15-20 minutes.

2. While the rice is cooking, cut the tops off the 4 peppers to be stuffed. De-seed and cut the tops into small pieces to add in with the rest of the chopped veg. Dissolve the second stock cube in another pan of boiling water and add the whole peppers. Boil gently for 5 minutes until slightly soft and drain.

3. Also, while the rice is cooking heat a little olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped peppers, onion, zucchini, garlic and smoked paprika, and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.

4. Drain the cooked rice and return to the pan. Add in the cooked chopped vegetables, the chopped coriander and the grated cheese. Stir well. Fill each of the boiled peppers with a generous amount of this mixture, pushing down gently between each spoonful.

5. Stand the stuffed peppers on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit / gas mark 4 for 20 minutes. Serve with some tomato salsa and a chunky salad made from cherry tomatoes, cucumber and scallions (spring onions).

Variations

To reduce the calorie count of this vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe, you could try substituting the grated cheddar cheese for a few large spoonfuls of low-fat cream cheese. It should still produce a nice, creamy consistency and taste but contain less fat.

Top Tip

If possible, try to select peppers which have 4 ‘feet’ rather than 3. This will help them to stand on the baking tray more easily and ensure the vegetarian stuffed peppers cook evenly.

Nutrition Nugget

There are many different health benefits associated with bell peppers. For example, they may help to lower high cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and offer some protection against rheumatoid arthritis.

For more Mediterranean recipes like these vegetarian stuffed peppers, click here.

Or return to our home page for more great vegetarian recipes.

P.S. We also now have a fantastic FREE monthly newsletter, Bon Appetit!, which you can sign up to for exclusive recipes, handy cooking tips and techniques, and honest product reviews.