These Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers are packed with bold flavors, protein and nutrients. Featuring tempeh, fresh vegetables, Italian herbs and quinoa, this recipe makes a hearty lunch, dinner or meal prep dish!
Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers are a hit in my house. It is easy to prepare and made with hearty ingredients that will keep you full and happy.
You’d be surprised as to how hearty this dish is. Made with chunky tempeh, quinoa and nutritious vegetables, meat-eaters will even find this recipe irresistible. There is nothing complicated about this recipe. It uses pantry staples like Italian Seasoning, quinoa and tomato sauce.
- I make this recipe for my dinner meal prep
- It is a great way to use up leftover vegetables, sauces and grains
- Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers are gluten free
- They last up to 7 days in the fridge
Ingredients To Make Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers
This recipe for Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers uses easily accessible ingredients such as:
- BELL PEPPERS: The best pepper to use for this recipe since you can scoop out the inside and have a large area to stuff the pepper. They also stand great on their own. I enjoy using green bell peppers for a crunchy zesty pepper, but you can also use a sweet red bell pepper.
- QUINOA: This grain helps bind the mixture together and adds another source of protein to the dish. You can also use rice, cauliflower rice or farro.
- TEMPEH: A soy-based product that has a meaty texture when crumbled (like chicken!) It is soaks up the flavors from the Italian Seasoning and tomato sauce. You can also use crumbled tofu or white beans.
- VEGETABLES: Add in vitamins and nutrients from fresh vegetables. I use zucchini, onion, garlic and asparagus. You can also add in mushrooms and squash. Any vegetable works!
- TOMATO SAUCE: I use marinara sauce because that is what I always have on hand. My favorite sauce is Victoria’s Marinara sauce. Any canned tomato sauce will do.
- ITALIAN SEASONING: Yes you could use fresh herbs but I think everyone has Italian Seasoning in their pantry. I used a combination of parsley, oregano, marjoram and basil. This is my favorite Italian Seasoning Blend.
How to Make Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Time needed: 20 minutes.
Steps to prepare Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers
- Prepare the bell peppers
Start by slicing off the tops of the bell peppers. Scoop out the seeds inside with your hands (Hint: do this over the garbage.) They will look like this:
- Prepare the stuffing
Next, cook the onion, garlic, asparagus, zucchini and tempeh in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble/chop the tempeh before placing in the skillet using a knife. Cook until the vegetables become soft and the tempeh is lightly brown, then add in the tomato sauce.
- Add in quinoa
Once the vegetables and tempeh are done cooking, add in the quinoa (or rice) to the skillet. Fold in the quinoa until it is completely mixed with the vegetables, tempeh and tomato sauce. Remove from heat.
- Stuff the peppers
Use a large spoon and stuff the mixture into each pepper. Don’t be afraid to pack the mixture into the bell pepper. Each pepper should contain lots of filling.
- Bake
Add a sprinkle of cheese on each pepper (optional), cover and bake for 35 – 40 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove the cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes or so to (this helps the vegan cheese melt a little more).
…and now you are ready to eat!
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. (Great for meal prep!)
- Freezer: You can store stuffed peppers in the freezer for 2 – 3 months. To freeze, simply let peppers cool completely and store them in freezer safe containers. Let thaw before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the oven or microwave. For the oven, place the peppers in a baking dish and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes. To reheat in the microwave, slice the peppers in-half lengthwise to ensure that they warm evenly and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes until warmed through.
Italian Vegan Stuffed Peppers (With Tempeh)
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers (green, red or yellow)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 medium cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 (8 oz) package of tempeh, crumbled
- 1 cup asparagus
- 1 cup zucchini
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (or rice, cauliflower rice, farro)
- ½ cup tomato sauce (canned marinara sauce)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian Seasoning (basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, sage)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F
Sauté Filling
- In a large skillet, add in the onion, garlic, asparagus, zucchini and crumbled tempeh. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the tempeh is slightly brown.
- Add in the tomato sauce and cooked quinoa (or rice.) Incorporate all ingredients thoroughly. Remove from heat.
Stuff Peppers
- Slice off the tops of the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds in the inside.
- Scoop the tempeh and vegetable mixture into each bell pepper. Make sure to pack in the mixture by pressing down slightly with the back of a spoon. The peppers should be heavy and the mixture should be compact.
Bake
- Place the stuffed peppers in an oven safe baking dish (I line mine with parchment paper.) You can add shredded vegan cheese on top if you want. Cover the baking dish with tin foil and bake on the center rack for 35 – 40 minutes. Remove cover, top with optional grated cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.
Serve
- Once the peppers are done cooking, remove them from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Substitutions:
- Instead of quinoa, you can use rice, cauliflower rice, brown rice, farro, etc.
- Add in mushrooms and yellow squash for more variety
- You can use a flavored tomato sauce for a combination of flavors
- Add in extra spices like red hot pepper flakes for a spicy stuffed vegan pepper
- Substitute the tempeh with tofu or white beans
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. (Great for meal prep!)
- Freezer: You can store stuffed peppers in the freezer for 2 – 3 months. To freeze, simply let peppers cool completely and store them in freezer safe containers. Let thaw before reheating.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the oven or microwave. For the oven, place the peppers in a baking dish and bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes. To reheat in the microwave, slice the peppers in-half lengthwise to ensure that they warm evenly and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes until warmed through.
[…] Italian food like nobody’s business the last few months. Have you checked out my recipe for Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers? Anyways, for this recipe I use a variety of vegetables for the filling, but hands down the […]