Vegetarian stuffed peppers
Green pepper halves packed with a saucy rice, black bean and corn filling and baked under melty cheese until tender and bubbling.
- 70 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.40 a serving
- 520 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- ¾ cup long-grain white rice
- 4 green bell peppers
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 1½ cups Mexican blend cheese, divided
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Each serving has about 520 calories, 22 g protein, 69 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.40 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No Mexican blend cheese? Shredded cheddar or cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring the rice, water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a .
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
the oven to 375°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
the peppers through the stems and pull out the seeds and white ribs.
Halve. Halving means cutting something into two equal pieces. Even halves cook at the same speed, so one doesn’t dry out while the other finishes.
How you’ll know: The two pieces look like mirror images of each other.
Set them cut side up in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Heat the oil in a large over medium heat and cook the onion until soft, 5 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the beans, corn, tomatoes with their juice, chili powder, cumin and ¾ teaspoon salt and until most of the liquid is gone, 5 minutes.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in the rice and 1 cup cheese, then pack the filling into the pepper halves, mounding it up.
Pour ¼ cup water into the dish, cover with foil and for 25 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 25 min
Dolly’s tip: The water steams the peppers under the foil so they turn tender, not crunchy.Uncover, top with the rest of the cheese and until the peppers are tender and the cheese is bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with sour cream and cilantro.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 12 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Make-ahead and freezer-friendly ›What to make with rice and bell peppers ›What to make with black beans and corn ›What to make with black beans and Mexican blend cheese ›