Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
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An easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe made with spinach and ricotta. This low carb version of my favorite spinach and ricotta stuffed shells recipe also makes a great meal prep recipe!
This easy vegetarian recipe is a meatless meal the whole family will love. It requires minimal prep time and will be on your dinner table in 30 minutes or less!
Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
I love stuffed peppers. I also love stuffed shells. Lately, I’ve been really craving spinach and ricotta stuffed shells but was looking for a low carb alternative. So here it is! Spinach and ricotta stuffed peppers.
This vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe has an Italian flair, less carbs, and more veggies! I’m mixing spinach, ricotta cheese (obviously), red pepper flakes for a little bit of heat, lemon zest for a little tang, among a few other delicious things.
It took me a few tries to get this one right because the ingredients in this recipe can expel lots of liquid, which can make everything watery. So, after lots of recipe testing I have finally nailed this one to perfection.
Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
Vegetables and herbs: bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, garlic, spinach, yellow onion, basil, lemon.
I used red bell peppers and orange bell peppers for this recipe, but you can use any color of peppers you like!
Dairy: for this recipe you will need ricotta cheese and parmesan cheese. I recommend using full fat ricotta cheese. If you’re looking to make these stuffed peppers vegan, you can substitute for vegan cheese.
Other ingredients: egg, red pepper flakes, and kosher salt.
How to make stuffed peppers
This took lots of testing in the kitchen to perfect! The flavor was there, but the consistency just wasn’t. So I played around with baking temps and time in order to produce the best results.
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Roast tomatoes and peppers. Add cherry tomatoes, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper to a 9 x 11 inch oven safe baking dish. Toss them in the pan to combine. Place peppers in the pan and bake for 10 minutes. If you want more of a charred look and taste, broil them for about 3-4 minutes instead.
3. Sauté spinach. While the tomatoes and peppers are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté spinach, garlic, and onions until spinach has wilted.
Drain the spinach well (I like to use a fine mesh strainer) and set aside in a mixing bowl.
4. Make the ricotta filling. Add ricotta, red pepper flakes, egg, basil, and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl with the spinach and mix until fully combined.
5. Stuff the peppers. Remove the peppers from the oven and stuff with the spinach and ricotta mixture. Top each pepper with about half a tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese.
6. Bake the stuffed peppers. Place the stuffed peppers in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese on top has melted and the peppers are warm all the way through. Don’t bake them too long or they will become watery inside!
What to eat with stuffed peppers
You can serve stuffed peppers as a side or as a main dish. I love to serve mine with a side of farro because it’s a protein rich grain. There are six grams of protein in just 1/4 of a cup of farro. Wild rice also makes a delicious side dish.
If you’re diet is grain free or carb free, you can also eat them as a side dish to your favorite protein like chicken, shrimp, or scallops. Or you can have them as your main dish with a side of broccolini or spaghetti squash!
Healing superfoods
Bell peppers are one of many anti aging superfoods listed in this book. They recommend eating two cups a day but that’s a lot of peppers for me so as long as I get a few servings a week, I feel good!
For this recipe I used red and orange bell peppers, but you can use green peppers, too.
If you’re looking for new ways to incorporate bell peppers into your diet, try this Mushroom Bolognese or these Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps. All of these recipes work well for meal prepping!
Make stuffed peppers ahead of time
Vegetarian stuffed peppers are perfect for serving at a party! You can prep them ahead of time by completing all the steps except the final 5 minute bake to melt the cheese. I like to serve them on a serving serving tray like this one.
Recipe Variations
For all my meat lovers, you might be interested in some of these variations:
Ground beef stuffed peppers – ground beef, black beans or pinto beans, brown rice, onion powder, and sour cream.
Taco stuffed peppers – ground chicken or beef, chili powder, garlic cloves, tomato paste, black beans, white rice.
Stuffed pepper meal prep
Stuffed peppers will keep in the fridge for several days, so they make an excellent meal prep option. This recipe yields 4 servings with a total of 8 stuffed peppers. I pack two in each meal prep container to eat for lunch every day.
These are my favorite meal prep containers, I like them so much I have two sets! I also love these meal prep containers because they have 3 compartments to keep everything separate which is great for things like salads, taco bowls, or chili lime pulled chicken bowls.
More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- Tomato Feta Baked Spaghetti Squash
- Baked Eggplant Steaks
- Zucchini Lasagna Rolls
- Wild Mushroom Beyond Meat Burgers
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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 4 bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 cups spinach
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 25 ounces ricotta cheese, drained*
- 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- 1 lemon, zest
- parmesan cheese, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Add cherry tomatoes, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper to a 9 x 11 inch oven safe baking dish. Toss them in the pan to combine. Place peppers in the pan and bake for 10 minutes.*
- While the tomatoes and peppers are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté spinach, garlic, and onions until spinach has wilted. Drain the spinach well (I like to use a fine mesh strainer) and set aside in a mixing bowl.
- Add ricotta, red pepper flakes, egg, basil, and lemon zest to the mixing bowl with the spinach and mix until fully combined.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and stuff with the spinach and ricotta mixture. Top each pepper with about half a tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese.
- Place the stuffed peppers in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese on top has melted and the peppers are warm all the way through. Don't bake them too long or they will become watery inside!
Video
Notes
- To drain the ricotta, line a fine mesh sieve with cheesecloth and push out any excess liquid.*
- If you want more of a charred look and taste, broil the tomatoes and peppers for about 3-4 minutes before stuffing them instead of baking for 10 minutes.
