Miso-Stuffed Peppers with Zucchini and Rice

About This Recipe

Stuffed peppers aren't a classic Japanese dish, but the technique of stuffing hollowed vegetables with a seasoned rice filling has clear roots in Japanese home cooking, most visibly in piiman no nikuzume, meat-stuffed green peppers pan-fried or simmered in a soy-based sauce. This recipe borrows that logic and swaps in a plant-forward filling of rice, sautéed zucchini, and mushrooms bound with miso, then bakes the peppers instead of pan-frying for a hands-off version suited to a full dinner. The key technique is cooking the filling fully before it goes into the peppers — this is not a dish where raw rice cooks inside the pepper shell. Rice, vegetables, and aromatics are sautéed and seasoned on the stovetop first, so what goes into the oven is already flavorful; baking simply softens the peppers and lets the top brown slightly under the glaze. The result is tender, faintly sweet peppers holding a savory, umami-rich filling with a glossy miso glaze on top — comforting and substantial enough to serve as a main course rather than a side.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4bell peppers(tops cut off, seeded)
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 1zucchini(diced small)
• 1 cupmushrooms(diced)
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 cupscooked short-grain rice
• 2 tbspwhite miso
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tbspmirin
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
• 2scallions(sliced)
• 1 tsptoasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the filling

   Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 4 minutes until softened, then add garlic, zucchini, and mushrooms and cook 6-7 minutes until the vegetables release and reabsorb their moisture and start to brown lightly.

2. 2

   Season and add rice

   Stir in cooked rice, miso, soy sauce, and mirin, mixing until the rice is evenly coated and the miso is fully dissolved. Cook 2-3 minutes so the flavors meld, then remove from heat.

   Cook the filling until it tastes fully seasoned on its own — the peppers won't absorb much additional flavor in the oven, so an underseasoned filling stays underseasoned.

3. 3

   Stuff the peppers

   Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Pack the filling firmly into each hollowed pepper, mounding slightly at the top, and stand them upright in a baking dish.

4. 4

   Bake

   Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the dish to keep peppers from drying out. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes until the peppers are tender and the tops are lightly browned.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Drizzle with sesame oil, scatter scallions and sesame seeds on top, and serve hot, straight from the baking dish.

Variations

• •

  Add ground chicken or pork to the filling for a heartier, protein-forward version.

• •

  Use a mix of red, yellow, and green peppers for visual variety and slightly different sweetness levels.

• •

  Top with a thin layer of shredded cheese in the last 5 minutes of baking for a fusion-style finish.

Storage

Refrigerate stuffed peppers in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 350°F oven for 15 minutes, or microwave individually until heated through.

Frequently Asked Questions