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These easy stuffed peppers boast a simple Mexican inspired filling that packs big flavor! It’s a crowd pleasing vegetarian dinner idea.
Stuffed peppers are a great autumn entrée, but they can take a fair amount of time to prepare. Most recipes call for rice to be cooked beforehand (a trick in recipe writing that I always seem to miss!), and then for the stuffed peppers to be baked for up to 45 minutes! This results in an at least a 2-hour adventure, and typically we don’t have that amount of time on a weeknight. So enter: our easy stuffed peppers recipe! They take about 40 minutes to make, and are just as delicious as the ones that take double the time. Keep reading for our easy stuffed peppers recipe.
How to make easy stuffed peppers
While we love cooking, we also love the quickest path to delicious eats. So when I stumbled across the grain millet, I figured it would be a great option for a quick stuffed pepper. Our previous stuffed poblano pepper recipe called for brown rice, which takes about 50 minutes to cook. Millet takes just about 20 minutes to prepare, and while you cook the filling, you can roast the peppers. Once the peppers are done, add the filling and serve! You also can broil a bit of cheese on top if you’d like.
We’ve used Mexican inspired flavors in this recipe: cumin, salsa, cheese, cilantro, and chipotle powder! For a non-spicy version of these easy stuffed peppers, use mild salsa and a very small pinch of the chipotle powder. The chipotle powder adds a wonderful smoky, nuanced flavor – it’s worth tracking down in your local grocery.
If you’d prefer, you can use this easy stuffed peppers recipe as a canvas for whatever flavors you’d like! Try different types of beans, cheese or nuts, or spices of your own choosing. You also could substitute other grains, but millet is a great choice for a quick whole grain filling!
Looking for more easy dinner ideas?
Outside of these easy stuffed peppers, here are a few more of our favorite easy dinner ideas:
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce
- Loaded Mexican Fries
- Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Creamy Coconut Curry Soup
- Chickpea Fattoush Salad Bowl
This recipe is…
This easy stuffed peppers recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Easy Stuffed Peppers
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
These easy stuffed peppers boast a simple Mexican inspired filling that packs big flavor! It’s a crowd pleasing vegetarian dinner idea.
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers of any color
- 1 ½ cups millet (or rice)
- 15-ounce can red or pinto beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
- ½ cup frozen or fresh corn
- 1 ½ cups salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or Monterrey jack)
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 pinches chipotle powder
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Wash the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise; remove the seeds. Place on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or spray with cooking oil) and bake for about 30 minutes, until tender. (Smaller, thinner peppers may not take as long.)
- While the peppers are roasting, prepare the millet: pour the millet into a dry pan. Toast for about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Pour in 3 cups water and add a few pinches kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 17 minutes, until the water has been completely absorbed.
- Drain and rinse the beans. When the millet is done, fluff with a fork in the pan. Then add the beans, corn, salsa, shredded cheese, cumin, kosher salt, and chipotle powder. Stir to combine. Taste, and add additional salsa, cheese, or spices as necessary. Turn the heat to low and reheat the filling for a few minutes, stirring.
- When the peppers are done, remove them from the oven and drain them of excess liquid. Then fill each pepper with the warm filling. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- If desired, top the peppers with additional cheese and broil them until the cheese melts. You also can place the peppers in the oven to warm for a few minutes prior to serving. (If you want to warm for a longer period of time prior to serving, cover the peppers with foil and turn down the heat to 200°F so that the filling does not dry out.)
Notes
Make ahead: You can make the millet in advance, or make the entire filling in advance and re-warm before stuffing the peppers. You also can pre-bake the peppers in advance, then fill and bake them day of. Finally, you can make the entire pepper recipe in advance and refrigerate: then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Note: For a non-spicy version of these easy stuffed peppers, use mild salsa and a very small pinch of the chipotle powder (or omit altogether). The chipotle powder adds a wonderful smoky flavor – it’s worth tracking down in your local grocery.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Can you prepare these ahead of time and/or freeze?
You can make the millet in advance, or make the entire filling in advance and re-warm before stuffing the peppers. You also can pre-bake the peppers in advance, then fill and bake them day of. Finally, you can make the entire pepper recipe in advance and refrigerate: then bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Used this for a healthy Super Bowl alternative and was a big hit. My husband loved it and might not even miss nachos today Thanks for great idea and I’ll be sure to make again
Haha what a great idea for the Super Bowl! Thank you for trying it out!
Absolutely terrific. I love the chipotle powder.
That picture is incredible. It makes the food look so beautiful!
Thank you! We love chipotle powder too – we just discovered it and it adds a wonderful flavor!
I just wanted to say that I love your blog and all the delicious [and healthy!] meals you make! You are my go-to blog when I’m looking for a new and healthy dinner :). I am about to make these peppers for dinner and me and my husband can’t wait! Unfortunately I couldn’t find millet at our local store. Would quinoa be an adequate and easy substitution?
Thanks!
Krissy – Thank you for the nice note! Yes, quinoa would be a perfect substitute for this recipe! It will have a different texture and may need a modified amount of salsa (just go for whatever seems to be the right consistency and flavor), but it will be just as tasty! Let me know if you uncover millet – we’ve found it packaged (Bob’s Red Mill) as well as in the bulk section at our local health foods store. Let us know how it turns out!
The quinoa worked perfectly! The stuffed peppers were delicious… Definitely a keeper :).
Thanks Sonja!
Wonderful — so glad you enjoyed them!! :)