Canadian Sunrise Garlic Lemon Stuffed Peppers

About This Recipe

This stuffed pepper leans vegetarian and pantry-driven, the kind of practical, protein-rich dinner that shows up often in Canadian home cooking when the fridge needs clearing out before a grocery run. Black beans and rice form the base of the filling, bulked out with diced root vegetables like carrot and parsnip, and brightened with plenty of garlic and a good hit of lemon juice, which keeps the whole thing from tasting flat the way bean-and-rice fillings sometimes can. The peppers are par-baked briefly before stuffing to soften their walls just enough that they won't be tough after the full bake, then filled generously and returned to the oven until the tops turn lightly charred and the filling is heated through and slightly crisp on top. This two-stage approach is the difference between stuffed peppers with a raw, crunchy shell and ones that are tender all the way through. Finished with chives and an extra squeeze of lemon at the table, these stuffed peppers are filling enough as a vegetarian main and freeze well, making them a solid choice for batch cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4bell peppers(tops cut off, seeded)
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 1carrot(finely diced)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 cupscooked black beans(drained and rinsed if canned)
• 1.5 cupscooked rice
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspfine sea salt(plus more to taste)
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1lemon(zested and juiced)
• 0.75 cupshredded cheddar(optional)
• 3 tbspchives(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Par-bake the peppers

   Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Stand peppers upright in a baking dish, drizzle with a little oil, and bake 10 minutes to soften slightly.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and carrot 6 minutes until softened, then add garlic and cumin and cook 1 minute more.

3. 3

   Combine the filling

   Stir in black beans, rice, salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until heated through, then remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

   Taste the filling before stuffing the peppers -- it should taste fully seasoned on its own since the peppers add very little salt.

4. 4

   Stuff and bake

   Spoon the filling into the par-baked peppers, packing gently. Top with cheddar if using, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the peppers are tender and the tops are lightly browned.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Let rest 5 minutes, then top with chopped chives and an extra squeeze of lemon before serving.

Variations

• •

  Meaty version: brown 250g ground beef or turkey with the onions for a heartier, protein-boosted filling.

• •

  Spicy version: add a diced jalapeño with the garlic and top with pepper jack instead of cheddar.

• •

  Grain swap: use cooked quinoa instead of rice for a higher-protein, gluten-free filling.

Storage

Refrigerate stuffed peppers in an airtight container up to 4 days, or freeze baked and cooled peppers individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes from fridge or 40 from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions