Bell peppers stuffed with a garlic-lemon black bean, rice and root vegetable filling, baked until tender and lightly charred.
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.
Serves 4
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.
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.
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.
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.
Let rest 5 minutes, then top with chopped chives and an extra squeeze of lemon before serving.
Par-bake the peppers before stuffing -- skipping this step leaves the walls undercooked and slightly crunchy even after the full bake time.
Use day-old rice if you have it; it holds its texture in the filling better than freshly cooked, still-warm rice.
Stand peppers snugly together in the baking dish so they support each other and don't tip over while baking.
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.
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.
Stuffed peppers arrived in Canadian home cooking largely through Eastern European immigrant communities in the early 20th century, and the black bean and rice filling reflects how the format has since absorbed influences from Tex-Mex and Latin American cooking as those cuisines became part of the broader Canadian pantry.
Yes, assemble the stuffed peppers up to a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, then bake straight from the fridge, adding about 10 extra minutes to the bake time.
Pinto or kidney beans work just as well; the cooking method and seasoning don't need to change at all.
This usually means the par-baking step was skipped or too short; give the peppers a full 10 minutes in the oven before stuffing, especially if they have thick walls.
Per serving (380g / 13.4 oz) · 4 servings total
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