30-Minute Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Stuffed peppers make for a perfect savory treat. They allow you to pack a whole meal into a clean, easy container. Plus, recipe creator Sher Castellano's version is fully vegetarian. Possibly the best part of this recipe is that these stuffed peppers only take 30 minutes from start to plate, giving you a filling vegetarian meal in seemingly no time at all.  

This dish marries just enough spice with a delicious, hearty filling. Technically, you could stuff about any type of pepper with any type of stuffing. Yet for this particular recipe, Castellano has figured out a way to create this amazing meal in only 30 minutes by cooking it in the very sauce that will form the basis of its stuffing. "Most stuffed pepper recipes take at least an hour, and this only takes 30 minutes," explains Castellano.

So, are you ready to learn how to make these delicious stuffed peppers in your own kitchen? Let's get started.

This recipe is as easy as it sounds. There are only two main components: the peppers and the stuffing. It is easy enough to pick up four bell peppers to start off this recipe. While in the vegetable aisle, look for some fresh basil as well. Next, pick up a large jar of tomato sauce since you'll need three cups of it. Then pick up a bag of brown rice, from which you'll be prepping two cups of cooked rice (note that it usually takes a cup of uncooked rice to make two cups of cooked rice). Likely in the same aisle will be the white beans, so pick up a can of those as well. You can use either Great Northern or navy. "Both varieties work great," Castellano says.

Finally, get a block of Pecorino Romano cheese that you can grate yourself. Finish off your shopping with sea salt and pepper, though you might already have those at home.

First, you need to slice the tops off of the green peppers. Dig inside the pepper and scoop out the membranes and seeds. Pour three cups of tomato sauce into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Lay the peppers on their sides on top of the sauce, cover the pot, and simmer for five minutes. Then flip the peppers onto the other side and simmer for another five minutes. "As the sauce heats to a simmer," explains Castellano, "it will cook the peppers, allowing for a shorter cook time."

Straighten the peppers when they're ready for the next step. "The green will start to pale, and the pepper will start to soften," notes Castellano. When they're sitting with the opening facing up, start spooning out the sauce. You should spoon out a cup of it to add to a bowl. "Some of the sauce will stay in the pan," Castellano explains, "the rest will be added to the rice and bean mixture." Cover the peppers again and keep them simmering.

Add the rice, beans, cheese, basil, salt, and pepper to the mixing bowl with the cup of sauce. Stir to combine until it makes one well-blended stuffing. 

Uncover the peppers and spoon the stuffing into each pepper, filling them most of the way full. Then spoon some of the sauce out of the bottom of the pan into the peppers to top off the stuffing. If the bottom of the pan looks too dry after having spooned out most of the sauce, add a quarter of a cup of water to it. As Castellano explains, "The sauce you put on top is just a small spoonful. The rest is in the bottom of the pan with the added water." Cover the pot again and cook on medium for 15 minutes.

After the 15 minutes are up, uncover the pot and plate the peppers with on a bed of the sauce. Top each pepper with the cheese, and your stuffed peppers are ready to be served.