Stuffed Peppers — The Simplest Meatless Recipe

- 1050

Stuffed peppers are a beloved comfort food in many parts of the world, especially in Eastern Europe where they are a staple of home cooking. This recipe offers a delightful vegetarian twist on the classic, swapping out the traditional meat filling for a hearty and flavorful mix of rice and sautéed vegetables. It's a wholesome, satisfying dish that’s perfect for a cozy family dinner. Simple to prepare yet bursting with flavor, these meatless stuffed peppers are sure to become a new favorite in your kitchen.

A plate of cooked meatless stuffed peppers, garnished with fresh herbs.

Meatless Stuffed Peppers — The Simplest Recipe

Cooking: 1 hour
Quantity: 3 Servings
Per serving
Calories: 281 kcal
Proteins: 6 g
Fats: 6 g
Carbohydrates: 52 g

Ingredients for Meatless Stuffed Peppers

  • 6 medium-sized red bell peppers
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 1 large red tomato
  • 100 g round-grain rice (parboiled)
  • small bunch of parsley
  • paprika, black or red pepper
  • vegetable oil, salt, sugar to taste

How to Make Meatless Stuffed Peppers

Preparing bell peppers for stuffing by removing the tops and seeds.

Cut off the tops, remove the seeds, and cut out the membranes.

Cleaned bell peppers being rinsed under running water in a colander.

Rinse the cleaned peppers thoroughly under running water.

Bell peppers being blanched in a large pot of boiling water.

Place the prepared peppers in boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes


Choose your peppers for stuffing. You’ll need medium-sized, long, and spacious peppers that aren’t too curved. Cut off the tops, remove the seeds, and cut out the membranes.

Rinse the cleaned peppers thoroughly under running water to wash away any remaining seeds.

In a large pot, bring 2-3 liters of water to a boil. Place the prepared peppers in the boiling water, blanch for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them in the hot water for a few minutes. This heat treatment softens the peppers, making them more pliable. Blanched peppers are easier to fill with stuffing.

A hand dicing a yellow onion on a cutting board.

Finely dice the onion.

A carrot being grated on a box grater.

Wash, peel, and grate the carrot on a coarse grater.

Adding diced tomatoes to sautéed onions and carrots in a skillet.

Add the tomatoes to the carrots and onions.


Finely dice one onion. In a deep skillet or braiser, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the diced onion to the hot oil and sauté over medium heat until soft.

Wash, peel, and grate the carrot on a coarse grater. Add the grated carrot to the sautéed onion.

Scald a ripe red tomato with boiling water and peel off the skin. Dice the pulp into small cubes. Chop a small bunch of parsley. Add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley to the carrots and onions.

Sautéing a mix of onions, carrots, and tomatoes in a skillet.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring with a spatula to prevent burning.

Cook the vegetables over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring with a spatula to prevent them from burning.

Adding parboiled rice to the cooked vegetable mixture in a skillet.

Add the parboiled rice to the other filling ingredients.

A hand stuffing a blanched bell pepper with a rice and vegetable filling.

Fill the peppers with the stuffing using a teaspoon.

Pouring water into a skillet with stuffed peppers before stewing.

Pour boiling water or broth into the skillet with the peppers, so the liquid comes halfway up the sides.


Parboil the round-grain rice: place the rinsed rice in a saucepan, add 150 ml of water, bring to a boil, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, covered. Add the parboiled rice to the other filling ingredients. Season with salt and sugar to taste, add 1 teaspoon of ground sweet paprika, and season with black or red pepper. Mix well and cook the filling for another 10 minutes.

Fill the peppers with the stuffing using a teaspoon. Don’t pack them too tightly, and leave a little space at the top. The rice will expand as it cooks, so it needs some room inside the pepper.

Pour boiling water or broth into the skillet with the peppers so that the liquid comes halfway up their sides. Add a pinch of salt. Cover the skillet with a lid. Cook over medium heat for 25 minutes.

A serving of warm meatless stuffed peppers in a bowl, ready to be eaten.

Serve the stuffed peppers warm. A yogurt sauce with herbs and garlic or regular smetana is a great accompaniment to this dish.

Serve the stuffed peppers warm. This dish pairs well with a yogurt sauce with herbs and garlic or regular smetana (a popular Eastern European sour cream).

And there you have it—beautifully tender and flavorful stuffed peppers, ready to be enjoyed! This dish is wonderfully versatile; serve it hot as a main course, perhaps with a dollop of smetana (a type of sour cream) or a fresh yogurt and dill sauce to complement the rich flavors. These peppers also make fantastic leftovers and are great for meal prepping, as their taste deepens overnight. We hope you enjoy this simple, comforting recipe that brings a taste of home-cooked goodness to your table. Happy cooking!