Stuffed Bell Peppers with Spicy Ketchup

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Growing up there were three vegetables I refused to eat. Peas, caramelized onions, and bell peppers. I will still pick all the peas out of a pot pie before I eat it. Once I became vegan, I decided to try these veggies again because they seem to be found in vegan dishes a lot, especially peppers and onions. Peas are still on my banned list and I don’t think that will ever change. The texture is foul, and I hate they way they pop in your mouth. I can tolerate caramelized onions now but in moderation.

With bell peppers I still can’t stand the green ones, they smell and taste terrible. They are also a “rude” vegetable where it takes over anything it is in, and it’s all I can smell and taste. The red, yellow, and orange ones though, have grown on me. Growing up we had stuffed bell peppers all the time, but my mother always used the green peppers. I remember just picking the insides out and not eating the peppers. I decided to give these a whirl again, but I used all the other colored peppers instead.

The cool thing about this recipe is it’s another one that can be made so many different ways. This recipe came to be with ingredients I had in the fridge just because it was cheap and easy. I want to try these again using impossible meat and a different rice and veggies. I had green lentils I had cooked for another meal prior, but you can use any lentils and Trader Joe’s has pre-steamed lentils in the produce section that work great to speed up this recipe. You can also make the lentils and couscous the day or two before the actual meal to save you time later. Just keep them in sealed containers in the fridge until it’s time to make the rest of the filling.

No matter what filling you use, the key to a good stuffed pepper is the tomato based spread you top the peppers with. This seems to be a staple in any stuffed pepper recipe, so I wanted to make sure mine was the best. I prefer a spicy ketchup to top these off, but feel free to leave the spices out if you can’t do the heat.  

What are your stuffed pepper recipes? Do you top them with a sauce, or do you leave them plain? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading, 

Jessica

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Spicy Ketchup

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Yield: 4-5

Author: Jessica Morton

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

Stuffing Mix Ingredients

• 5 large bell peppers (colors of your choice)
• 2 TBSP garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 12 ounce Trader Joe’s Beef-less crumbles (sub out any brand beef-less crumbles or Impossible meat)
• 15 ounce Trade Joe’s Organic black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups organic yellow squash, diced
• 2 cups cooked lentils (I used green ones, but any will do. Cook based off instructions and set aside)
• 2 cups cooked couscous (this and the lentils can be made in advance to save time when making the meal)
• 3 shakes of Cholula hot sauce (I love their garlic hot sauce)
• 1 TSP chili powder
• 1 TSP garlic powder
• 1 TSP smoked paprika
• 1 TSP Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning
• 1 TSP Trader Joe’s onion salt
• Salt and pepper to taste
• **adjust seasonings to taste

Spicy Ketchup Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar-free ketchup
• 2 TSP Cholula garlic hot sauce (their original will do if it is all you have)
• 2 TSP organic chili powder
• 2 TSP smoked paprika
• **adjust seasonings to taste

Instructions

1. Make the lentils and couscous to whatever the package instructions call for and set aside. This doesn’t have to be warm when mixed with the other ingredients.
2. Mix all the spicy ketchup ingredients together and adjust the seasonings to taste.
3. Prep the garlic, shallots, and yellow squash and set aside.
4. Drain and rinse the black beans in a strainer and set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Cut the tops off the peppers. Remove and discard the stems, then finely chop the tops; set aside. Scoop out the seeds and as much of the membrane as you can. You can keep the peppers whole and just stick them in a baking dish that is large enough to keep them upright. I find that tricky, so I prefer to cut them in half and fill them that way. Do whatever you prefer. Place them in a baking dish and set aside.
7. Mix all the spicy ketchup ingredients together and set aside to marry. Adjust spice level to desired taste.
8. Heat a large skillet or pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and chopped peppers. Stir occasionally for a couple of minutes, until the shallots get translucent, and the peppers start to soften.
9. Add the remaining stuffing mix ingredients and adjust the seasonings to taste. Cook until heated through and the squash and peppers are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
10. Pull stuffing off stove and carefully spoon the filling into all of the peppers evenly.
11. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish and drizzle the peppers with a little olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and spoon the spicy ketchup over the top of all the peppers, fully covering them. Finish cooking until the peppers are soft and lightly browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes:

** Trader Joe’s has pre-steamed lentils in the produce section that work great to speed up this recipe. You can also make the lentils and couscous the day or two before the actual meal to save you time later. Just keep them in sealed containers in the fridge until it’s time to make the rest of the filling.

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