Weeknight Stuffed Bell Peppers
February 15, 2021
Everyone keeps asking me for this recipe and I am sorry it took so long for me to get it up!
This is one of my go-to recipes for week night dinner. It’s healthy and filling and you can swap out the seasoning, veggies, or meat for alternative ingredients super easily once you get the basic recipe down. As long as your kitchen is equipped with rice, canned beans, and bell peppers you can pretty much keep this recipe on the back burner and rotate it in now and then.
I myself, love how easy it is with this recipe to sauté whatever mishmash of veggies and spices together for a more convenient option than making a trip to the grocery store. And Chris asks for seconds every time!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked
- 1 can pinto beans
- 2 large bell peppers (whatever color you prefer!)
- 2 andouille chicken sausage, diced
- 6-8 crimini mushrooms, diced
- 1-2 zucchini, diced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Parmesan or mozzarella are my favorite but you can use whatever you prefer!)
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400
- Cut the tops off bell peppers and remove seeds and rinds from the inside
- Place whole bell peppers in an oven-safe dish to roast while you prepare the fulling. Keep an eye on your bell peppers while you cook and remove them from the oven when they begin to develop wrinkly skin.
- When finished cooking, over the sink, turn the peppers upside down to dump the excess water out from inside. Set aside while you finish the filling.
- Heat large skillet to medium-high and add EVOO and chicken sausage to brown.
- Add zucchini, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and garlic to sauté until onions are translucent.
- Add pinto beans and rice and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the zest of one lemon, and a splash of lemon juice along with parsley, Italian seasoning, half of the cheese, and salt & pepper to taste.
- Fill cooked bell peppers with rice mixture, top with leftover cheese, and re-enter into the oven at Broil.
- Remove bell pepper when cheese has melted and serve!
Try out different versions of this recipe by swapping different spices like cilantro instead of parsley or lime instead of lemon. You can also add a new vegetable like tomatoes or asparagus. Whatever you have in your fridge, you can make this your own! Sometimes I also add a small can of tomato paste to the filling to give it a saucier, more Italian taste.
Let me know how it goes or ask questions in the comment section below!
With love,
Ashley Jo
