Stuffed Bell Peppers with Mexican Rice that are Healthy and Delicious

Healthy peppers that are stuffed with delicious, vegetarian-friendly ingredients!

Looking to whip up something nice and tasty, but only have an hour or so to do so? No problem! Our recipe for stuffed bell peppers with Mexican rice will definitely do the trick. This great and healthy, vegetarian recipe is something that your family is definitely going to love. And the best part is they only require about 15 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cook time!

What to Prep Before You Get Started

Now before you get started, you should start by prepping all of your ingredients. Start by cutting the tops off of all four bell peppers and cleaning out the seeds. Next, make sure to chop up one yellow onion as evenly as you can. You will also want to take one zucchini and just dice it up as much as possible. 

Once that’s done, you should start prepping your spices. You will need a half teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of ground black pepper, and a half teaspoon of garlic powder. However, to add a unique flavor to your bell peppers, you should also prepare a teaspoon of paprika and cumin for that spicy aftertaste. Lastly, along with the garlic powder, mince some fresh garlic cloves as well.

After you have your veggies and spices ready to go, all you will need to do is pour out three separate cups of low-sodium vegetable broth and one cup of dry, uncooked brown rice as well. Note that we chose low-sodium broth in an effort to make this dish even healthier, but you can use regular if you prefer! Make sure you set aside a teaspoon of olive oil to cook all of this up, too. And finally, before you get cooking, shred one cup of cheddar cheese. If you are vegan, you can leave that part out.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Once everything has been prepped you can get started! Begin by heating up the olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. As you feel it start to heat up you can add the onions. Saute them for about 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add in your green chilli peppers, zucchini, garlic, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook this mixture for 5 or 6 minutes. Once that’s done, mix in your tomatoes, black beans, brown rice, and two of the three cups of vegetable broth. Cook until the liquid starts to bubble over. Now, reduce the heat to a low flame (or low heat), cover, and let it sit until the rice soaks up all the liquid.

In the meantime, you should preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place all of your cut and washed bell peppers into your favorite baking dish. Once your rice is finished, stir in the cheese and scoop the mixed rice evenly into your bell peppers. Now, to make sure your bell peppers get nice and tender, you are going to pour the final cup of vegetable broth into the dish. Then, cover them with some tin foil and stick them in the oven for about 20 minutes. That’s it! You’re done. Simple enough, right? Now you are ready to enjoy those delicious stuffed bell peppers with Mexican rice. Yum!

Want to Add Some Animal Protein?

These stuffed peppers are vegetarian-friendly as is, but feel free to add in some animal-protein like ground beef or ground turkey for a heartier meal. Simply cook up the beef or turkey in a fry pan, drain it, season it with your favorite Mexican spices, and then stir it into your rice mixture.

Of course, if you don’t want to add any meat into the peppers, you can prepare a meat-based main course to pair with them. That way, your vegetarian guests won’t have to stress it and your meat-eating friends will be satisfied! If you take this route, you might like to try any of these Mexican-inspired main dish options: 

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