These Healthy Vegan Roasted Stuffed Bell Peppers Are Filled With Flavors Of Italian Seasoning, Sweet Basil, Smoky Paprika And Sautéed Garlic & Onions. The Filling Is Veggie Packed With Zucchini, Eggplant And Kale. With A Protein Kick From Quinoa And Soy Crumbles. Topped With a Crispy, Crunchy, Gluten-Free Breadcrumb Crust. Great For A Side dish, Dinner And Even Better For Leftover Lunch.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. However you can find important tips/tricks in the post.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Delicious, nutritious, gluten-free vegan comfort food that's flavor packed, protein rich and so versatile! It's totally customizable with a wide selection of grains and vegetables.
We love this dish; a great healthy go to recipe in our house.
Ingredients
- Bell Peppers - which are loaded with vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and fiber
- Quinoa (1 cup cooked) - a protein packed grain.
- Italian Seasoning
- Chopped Zucchini, Chopped Eggplant, Chopped Fennel Bulb
- Vegan Meatless Crumbles
- Diced Tomatoes
- Kale Chopped
- Fennel Fronds Chopped - Optional
- Gluten-Free Bread Crumbs
If You're Out Of Quinoa
Quinoa is a grain that packs a nice protein punch, but if you can’t find it or are out; you can substitute quinoa with other gluten-free grains: fonio, brown rice or lentils (technically a legume but works well in this dish) or cauliflower rice.
Substitutions & Variations
For a hot twist, substitute bell peppers with poblano peppers.
If you are out of bell peppers or don't like them you could also stuff:
- Portobello Mushrooms
- Acorn Squash - How to Cook Them
- Butternut Squash
Substitute kale for spinach or even swiss chard.
For a cheesy option, top peppers with dairy-free cheese before adding the crumb mixture.
Customize your vegetables using whatever is available like mushrooms, asparagus, squash or sweet potatoes.
FAQ’s
Bell peppers come in male or female. Female peppers are the ones with four lobes at the bottom. They contain more seeds and are sweeter. Best eaten raw like in salad. Male peppers have three lobes and less seeds inside. Male peppers are best for cooking.
Red bell peppers the sweetest of all bell peppers. Red bells go through the full process of ripening, allowing the natural sugars to enter the fruit to give them their sweet and fruity flavor. Because of their sweetness they are easy to use in a variety of ways; from pastas to salads.
Yellow and orange are the next sweetest.
Green peppers; are green because they are picked before they go through the ripening process and change color. They are slightly more bitter with a tangy taste.
Store unwashed in the refrigerator crisper for one week in a plastic bag.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Prep kale (wash, dry, chop and set to the side). Cook Quinoa, set to the side.
- In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, set to the side.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash, dry and cut bell peppers in half, removing the seeds. Place halved bell peppers on baking sheet.
- Drizzle bell peppers evenly with 2 teaspoon of olive oil, covering both sides. Season bell peppers with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then set aside.
- In a large skillet on medium heat add remaining olive oil and cook onions with garlic paste, until onions are tender and garlic paste is fragrant.
- Add Italian seasoning and paprika. Add zucchini, eggplant and fennel and sauté for 5 to 8 minutes until vegetables are soft.
- Add diced tomatoes, ½ cup of water, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and let simmer. Add chopped kale, stirring until wilted, continuing to let simmer.
- Add vegan crumbles, cover with lid, continuing to let simmer. for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove pan from heat, add cooked quinoa, stirring lightly.
- Divide mixture evenly in the cooked halved peppers. Top with bread crumb mixture.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until crumbs and edges of peppers are browned.
- Garnish with basil and fennel fronds and serve with lemon wedges.
Directions for Air-Frying
- Set air-fryer to 375°
- Drizzle halved peppers with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoons salt and pepper.
- Cook peppers in batches for 10 minutes until peppers are tender.
- For stuffing directions, follow steps above.
- Add bread crumbs and bake in air-fryer for 5 minutes or until crumbs and peppers are golden brown.
- Garnish with basil, fennel fronds and serve with Lemon wedges.
Equipment
Ceramic Baking Dish or Baking Sheeting
Storage & Reheating
- To Store. Cool before refrigerating. Store in airtight container. Store in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze. For meal prepping and freezing, only prepare until stuffing the peppers with the mixture and do not do the second bake. Store in airtight container. To cook, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes from frozen (internal temperature has reached 165 degrees) and the crumbles are golden brown.
- To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in microwave or in oven at 350 until heated through.
- Prepare In Advance.
More Protein Packed Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Peppers
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Equipment
- large baking sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Air Fryer (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 Bell peppers - top’s cut off and seeds removed
- 3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground black pepper
- ¼ cup Uncooked Quinoa will yeild 1 cup when cooked
- ½ cup Chopped Onion
- 2 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 cup Zucchini Chopped
- 1 cup Eggplant Chopped
- 1 cup Fennel bulb Chopped - optional
- 6 ounces Vegan crumbles like Trader Joe's or Impossible meatless ground
- 1 14 ounce - can of diced tomatoes
- 2 cups Kale Chopped
- 1 cup Gluten Free bread crumbs
- Basil leaves torn
- Fennel fronds - optional
- Lemon wedge - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°
- Prep kale (wash, dry, chop and set to the side)
- Prep and cook Quinoa, set to the side.
- In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, set to the side.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash, dry and cut bell peppers in half, removing the seeds.
- Place halved bell peppers on baking sheet.
- Drizzle bell peppers evenly with 2 teaspoon of olive oil, covering both sides.
- Season bell peppers with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then set aside.
- In a large skillet on medium heat add remaining olive oil and cook onions with garlic paste, until onions are tender and garlic paste is fragrant.
- Add italian seasoning and paprika.
- Add zucchini, eggplant and fennel and saute for 5 to 8 minutes until vegetables are soft.
- Add diced tomatoes, ½ cup of water, salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and let simmer.
- Add chopped kale, stirring until wilted, continuing to let simmer.
- Add vegan crumbles, cover with lid, continuing to let simmer. for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove pan from heat, add cooked quinoa, stirring lightly.
- Divide mixture evenly in the cooked halved peppers.
- Top with bread crumb mixture.
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until crumbs and edges of peppers are browned.
- Garnish with basil and fennel fronds and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Directions for Air-frying
-
Set air-fryer to 375°
-
Drizzle halved peppers with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoons salt and pepper.
-
Cook peppers in batches for 10 minutes until peppers are tender.
-
For stuffing directions, follow steps above.
-
Add bread crumbs and bake in air-fryer for 5 minutes or until crumbs and peppers are golden brown.
-
Garnish with basil, fennel fronds and serve with Lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
These nutritional figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe.
If you give this gluten free vegan recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, or take a picture and tag and us on Instagram at #thevgnway.
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The Vgn Wayside
Tanya Richards
My kids (with help from my husband) made these for me today as a mother's day dinner. It was really good and it was my suggestion. They did a great job! These were so good.