Weeknight Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers feature a bright mix of colorful veggies and flavorful herbs in a delicious tomato sauce.

by Meghan Rodgers

August 24, 2021

Busy weekdays can be the hardest to stick with a, animal-friendly diet. After all, most of us were raised with meat-centric dishes that were easily thrown together — brown some ground beef for tacos, throw together a chicken casserole. Veggie-based meals just took more time — or so it seemed.

Well that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead of relying on the old family go-to recipes, you’ll just need to arm yourself with a new crop of quick and delicious veggie-based recipes. Today, I’m happy to bring you one of my favorite vegan recipes, Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers! It’s a super simple dish that can be ready in just 20 minutes of prep time and 40 minutes in the oven.

In some ways, stuffed peppers aren’t the easiest recipe to veganize. The main components are usually meat and cheese. But if you’re open to new delicious flavors, those colorful peppers serve as esible cups for all kinds of fillings — Tex-Mex, Greek, Quinoa, or in this case, tasty Italian.

This recipe is nothing fancy or complicated. It uses pantry staples, common vegetables and Italian herbs to give you a new quick and easy family favorite — no meat required. It’s the perfect back-to-school (or back to work!) fall comfort food, great for everyday dining but impressive enough to serve on a special occasion.

Weeknight Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients

6 large bell peppers, tops and seeds removed

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup zucchini, diced

1 cup yellow squash, diced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 cup cooked rice

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil leaves

vegan grated cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add onion. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add zucchini, squash, mushrooms, herbs, red pepper flakes, parsley and salt and pepper, then add tomato sauce. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add cooked rice and mix until combined. Remove from heat.
3. Fill each pepper with several tablespoons of vegetable and rice mixture, making sure to pack it well. Place stuffed peppers in baking dish. Cover and bake for about 35 minutes before removing foil and baking another 5 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes before sprinting with fresh basil leaves.
5. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if desired.

Meghan Rodgers is a media professional and writer covering travel, food and the environment. Find her writing on the food blog EverybodyCraves and her adventures on Instagram.