Vegan Stuffed Peppers Lentils
Easy Recipe for Vegan Stuffed Peppers. Filled with tasty Italian flavors, plus protein rich quinoa and lentils for a hearty and delicious lunch, dinner or meal prep idea.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 279kcal
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 6 bell peppers
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil* divided
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup dry quinoa rinsed well
- ½ cup lentils rinsed well
- 1 large can 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 cups veggie broth
- ¼ cup ground flax seeds
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Prepare bell peppers by slicing ¼" off the top and removing core and seeds. Save tops that look beautiful, and chop the rest to saute with the onions.
- Choose a cast iron dutch oven or ceramic or glass baking dish that will just fit the peppers snugly, so none tip over, and they hold each other up. Place the tops of peppers askew on top of them, so air can circulate into the peppers. Brush with 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or use vegetable broth) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 20 minutes, to soften, while you prepare the filling.
- Meanwhile, MAKE STUFFING: Heat remaining Tablespoon olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and sauté onions, and any chopped bell peppers until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add spices and garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic. Mix in quinoa and lentils until coated with spices and then add tomatoes and 2 cups of veggie stock. Bring to a low simmer and let cook for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and then stir in nutritional yeast, ground flax and fresh herbs.
- You can refrigerate the mixture at this point if you’re not ready to stuff the peppers. Mixture can also be frozen for up to 3 months if you have extra or wanted to prep this dish in advance.
- Remove peppers from oven, but leave it on. When peppers are cool enough to handle, spoon quinoa mixture evenly into peppers. Sprinkle with additional nutritional yeast and fresh basil, if desired.
- Cover with lid of dutch oven and bake for 30 minutes, until peppers are soft and filing is piping hot. If using baking pan, cover with unbleached parchment and then aluminum foil before baking.
Notes
NO OIL: Use vegetable broth to brush onto peppers before roasting. Also use vegetable broth to saute onions. Add one tablespoon at a time, as needed, so the pan doesn't become dry.
BELL PEPPERS: Any color will work well. Choose peppers of similar sizes with flat bottoms, if possible.
LENTILS: Black or green lentils are good choices. Red lentils are too soft and will fall apart. I like to use the petite french lentils or the small black beluga lentils because they hold their shape well.
MEAL PREP: Make filling up to 3 days in advance, store in fridge until ready to bake and stuff. OR, prepare entire dish and store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freezer for 3 months. Bring to room temp and reheat in 350 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes, until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 262mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g