This beans and rice stuffed peppers recipe is perfect for weeknights. It is full of flavor but cooks quickly. Usually, stuffed pepper recipes take over an hour to prepare. That’s often too long for a weeknight meal. To get over that hurdle, I experimented with different ways of roasting the beans and rice stuffed peppers and settled on this method.
I bumped up the baking temperature to 400ºF (205ºC) and covered the peppers with foil while they were in the oven. This allowed me to quickly roast the peppers in just 25 minutes. The peppers softened, the cheese melted through, and the beans didn’t dry out during the baking process. They were perfect!
MORE QUICK MEALS
PRODUCTS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
- Staub 10.5″ x 7.5″ Rectangular Dish: This is quite possibly my favorite baking/casserole dish ever. Everything bakes evenly in it, and it’s made of ceramic, so cleanup is always a breeze.
- Lodge 12″ Cast Iron Skillet: I’m going through one of those phases where I am obsessed with cast iron skillets again. I used it to sauté the stuffing ingredients together, and it was a charm!
Beans and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- oil for greasing pan
- 4 large bell peppers (any color)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- salt
- 1 1/4 cup (170g) corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups (290g) cooked brown rice
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 cup (85g) shredded pepper jack cheese
Optional Toppings
- cilantro leaves, torn
- 1/2 small avocado, sliced thinly
- lime juice (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (205ºC). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole pan (or large cast iron skillet) with oil.
- Slice peppers in half and remove the seeds. Check to make sure all the pepper halves fit into your baking pans. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the corn and zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in beans, rice, chili powder and cumin. Turn off heat and mix in shredded cheese.
- Stuff each half of a pepper with the beans and rice mixture. Place them in the prepared casserole pan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover foil, and let peppers cool for a few minutes before serving. Top peppers with cilantro, avocado slices, and a squeeze of lime juice, if you like.
Nutrition
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Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Cooking fast can be a challenge. I find the prep is where I spend most of my time.. so factoring that in with the time to cook means most of my recipes rarely come in at under 30 minutes…. but I factor this in and it’s a nonissue for my schedule. I enjoy the process! I love stuffed peppers, Lisa! They are so filling and taste so good with all the fixings.. guac, peppers, salsa! What a fantastic offering to your subscribers!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Traci! Yes, prep takes so much time, and it discourages me from cooking when I’m feeling a bit lazy.
Sonali- The Foodie Physician says
Such a colorful and hearty vegetarian dish- perfect for summer! And I love that you figured out a way to cut down on the cooking time without sacrificing any flavor!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Sonali!!
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
These sound perfect! I’ve been meaning to make stuffed peppers for the longest time. If you have leftovers, what’s your favorite method of reheating these?
Lisa Lin says
Hey, Sara! I’m super lazy-pants when it comes to reheating food, so I just stick it in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute. The stuffing usually comes out a bit dry, but I’m okay with that. The best way would probably be to stick them in the oven at 350 to 375F for a few minutes, but I usually don’t like to turn on the oven just for reheating food. Let me know if you make the stuffed peppers!
Minal says
Your ingredients has pepper jack cheese but the recipe doesn’t show how it is used. Is that for garnish?
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Minal. The directions are in the end of step 4, where you mix it in with the cooked beans, rice and veggies.
NG says
Hi Lisa
Just love your recipes! I’ve tried many and they all come out
perfect. We ‘veganize’ them without any problem! Made chile last night
so i’m going to use the leftovers to make stuffed peppers!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you SO MUCH for trying my recipes, and I’m very glad that you enjoy them!! Thanks for leaving a message!
Kim says
I sure wish there was a comment section for only those who had made your recipe. That is the only reason I read the comments.
kathy says
Loved this recipe! thanks so much!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks, Kathy!