Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce

5 from 2 votes

Easy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Tomato Sauce

These easy vegetarian stuffed peppers with tomato sauce are so delicious and fulfilling. Whether you eat a vegetarian diet or have a meatless meal night, you'll not go wrong with this delightful recipe.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: people

Calories: 336kcal

Author: Dr. Nena Stefanovic

Equipment

1 Cooking pan
1 Baking dish with lid

Ingredients

1 carrot large
1 zucchini
1 onion small
1 cup corn frozen, cut
5 tablespoon olive oil
3 bell peppers medium size
4 tablespoon tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup rice
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 ½ cup water
1 stick mozzarella cheese cut in pieces
1 tablespoon parmesan optional

Instructions

Cooking rice. Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. Transfer the rice to a pot and add 1 cup of water. Cook uncovered on medium heat until the water starts boiling. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot. Let it steam for 15 minutes.
Filling preparation. While rice is cooking, cut carrots, onions, and zucchini into small cubes. Warm 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender, frequently stirring with a wooden spoon. Add carrots and zucchini and cook until tender. Add frozen corn and add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked rice and 2 tablespoon of tomato sauce. Stir everything well with a wooden spoon. Set aside.
Peppers preparation. Halve the peppers from stem to base. Remove the stem and seeds.
Baking stuffed peppers. Preheat the oven to 395°F (200°C). Grease the baking dish with 2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon tomato sauce. Place the pepper halves in a baking dish, cut side facing up. Stuff each half with a generous amount of filling. Add 1 ½ cups of water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Cover it with aluminum foil if your baking dish has no lid.
After 30 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the lid. Mix 1 teaspoon of ground paprika with 1 tablespoon olive oil and drizzle the mix evenly over each pepper halve. Add mozzarella cheese on top of each pepper half. Return to the oven and bake for additional 5-10 minutes or until the top is crispy.

Notes

When drizzling ground paprika and olive oil in the last 5 minutes of cooking, you can also sprinkle with parmesan cheese for a crispier texture.

I used white arborio rice in this recipe, but any other rice will do great. It will be even healthier with brown rice. However, you have to adjust rice cooking time if you decide to go with this option.

Nutrition