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These spicy Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers are filled with chipotle-flavored rice, beans, and vegetables, then smothered with melty cheese and crunchy tortilla chips. They are an easy, delicious way to enjoy more plant-based meals.
Sometimes vegetarians get the short end of the stick. At weddings, they might be relegated to pasta with marinara (maybe with some zucchini mixed in), and at holidays, they are often stuck with side dishes.
Of course, truly delicious options are always available and are just as satisfying to those of us that eat meat.
If you’re not familiar with Chipotle chiles, they are definitely on the spicy side (as is the accompanying adobo sauce). Chipotle chiles are a little too spicy but you still want the flavor, try reconstituting some dried ancho or pasilla peppers. Or, seed and chop a poblano pepper for your filling (lots of flavor without the heat).
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Bell peppers: Try to buy peppers that are evenly sized and that can sit up on their own. If you can only find peppers that are lop-sided, don’t worry. Just trim off a thin layer of the bottom with a sharp knife to make them stand up.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Trim 1/2-inch from the top of each pepper and remove the stem and seeds.
- Add peppers to the water and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from water and place cut-side down to drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chipotle peppers, corn, and black beans, and stir until heated through. Pour into a large bowl.
- Add 1 cup cheese, rice, tomatoes, and cilantro to the large bowl with the black beans and stir to combine. Place the peppers in a 9” x 9” baking dish.
- Divide the filling evenly among the peppers. Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and crushed chips.
- Bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 stuffed peppers, each filled with a generous amount of rice and bean filling.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Stuffed peppers can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance. Or, frozen peppers before baking in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months.
- Freezer: Or, label, date, and freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
- Variety is the spice of life: Have cans of pinto beans on hand? Use those instead of the black beans. If you hate cilantro, use parsley. Same with rice: Use white or brown as you please (or even cooked quinoa or couscous).
- Classic Stuffed Peppers: For a more traditional version, try my Stuffed Bell Peppers.
Recipe FAQs
No, not technically, but I find the par-cooking step only takes a few extra minutes and is more than worth it. Some recipes have you pre-bake the peppers instead of boiling them which takes longer than the quick blanch we do here. If the peppers go in totally raw, they might come out a little crunchy (which isn’t a bad thing if you like that).
Serve extra sides that compliment the hearty, rustics flavors. Some of my favorite sides for stuffed peppers are:
• Roasted potatoes
• Roasted green beans
• Corn on the cob
• Potato wedges
• Rustic bread
• Dinner rolls
More plant-based meals
Italian Recipes
Eggplant Parmesan
Soup and Stew Recipes
Sweet Potato Chili
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Sofritas (Copycat)
Meal Planning
Mediterranean Buddha Bowl
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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large bell peppers any color (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce seeded and minced (see note 2)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded and divided
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup tortilla chips crushed
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Trim 1/2-inch from the top of each pepper and remove the stem and seeds.
- Add peppers to the water and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from water and place cut-side down to drain and cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, chipotle peppers, corn, and black beans, and stir until heated through. Pour into a large bowl.
- Add 1 cup cheese, rice, tomatoes, and cilantro to the large bowl with the black beans and stir to combine. Place the peppers in a 9” x 9” baking dish.
- Divide the filling evenly among the peppers. Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and crushed chips. Bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Bell peppers: Try to buy peppers that are evenly sized and that can sit up on their own. If you can only find peppers that are lop-sided, don’t worry. Just trim off a thin layer of the bottom with a sharp knife to make them stand up.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 stuffed peppers, each filled with a generous amount of rice and bean filling.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Stuffed peppers can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance. Or, frozen peppers before baking in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months.
- Freezer: Or, label, date, and freeze in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Delicious and easy!! We’ve had it for dinner twice this week
Thank you so much for your comment, Heather! I’m so happy you all loved it! – Meggan
Great recipe! One of the things I love most about Meggan’s cooking is the just-right ratio of ingredients and flavors. This recipe continues the tradition!
Necessity caused me to make this as a casserole. I increased the rice to 2c, roasted and chopped the peppers, used okra instead of corn, and skipped the cheese and tortilla chips. My version is not nearly as good as Meggan’s, but my vegan teenagers still loved it!
Would love other suggestions for corn subs. Thanks for the tasty recipes!
Hi Carolyn! Thank you so much for your lovely comment! I’m glad it was still a hit even though you had to make some changes. Depending on the recipe, some of my go-to substitutes for corn are: diced bell peppers or sweet peas (to still have a sweet flavor), chopped zucchini or squash (for texture, and they usually blend well with other flavors), or cubed sweet potato for both texture and flavor. Please write again and let me know if you have any questions! Take care! – Meggan
We are trying to cut out meat one supper a week. This was a great vegetarian option, all 3 of us loved it!
The mixer inside looked good and probably would’ve tasted good, but my daughter made this for us. And the recipe did not say to cook the black beans first so they were hard. But other than that it’s good.
Hi Faith, the recipe called for canned black beans which do not need to be cooked first. They just get heated in oven along with the rest of the filling. Please tell me your daughter did not use dried black beans in your stuffed peppers! Makes me want to cry. -Meggan
Amazing!!! So so delicious. What a gem to find
I have my granddaughter write me a list of what she wanted for dinner during the week. She wanted vegetarian stuffed peppers and I came across this recipe. Instead of the beans I used bush’s fiesta beans (has all the wonderful spices) and followed the recipe. It was delicious. My husband ate seconds (he’s a meat & potatoes kind of guy) and loved them. He didn’t even know they didn’t have hamburger in them. I was told I needed to make them again. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Hi Meggan, Do you think if I left out the cheese and chips I could freeze the filling? Making them tonight but there is only 2 of us. Please let me know, George
Hi George, I think these would freeze really well! I can’t think of any reason why not. Good call on leaving out the chips and cheese. The cheese isn’t really an issue, but when you reheat the peppers, the cheese will probably dry out throughout that process. So if you can add it towards the end, you can have freshly melted cheese (and crispy chips) which sounds ideal. Thank you for trying the recipe! I hope you like it. -Meggan
I tried this out with my boyfriend and it was so good! He doesn’t like spicy food, so we substituted the chipotle peppers with generic taco seasoning and it tasted amazing.
I am so glad that you tweaked the recipe so you could enjoy it! Sometimes people don’t do that, and they say things like “I hate cilantro but I used it anyway and now I don’t like the recipe.” So good job taking matters into your own hands! A little self-confidence in the kitchen really saves the day. 🙂 Thanks for your comment! -Meggan
Great recipe! This one will be a regular for us.
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks Susan! 😀
My husband absolutely loved these peppers. I’ll definitely make them again. We try to eat vegetarian as much as possible, and no one would miss the meat in this recipe. Thanks for a great variation!
Thank you so much Lisa! I’m glad you liked them and that they weren’t too spicy or anything like that. You’re right, there’s enough flavor there that no one will miss the meat! Thanks for the lovely comment. -Meggan
Interesting variation. This is one of those dishes you can do a lot with and they’re always good. These could be named Mexican stuffed peppers with the added chipotle, Spanish rice, crushed chips and cheese. Par cooking the peppers really speeds the baking process. By omitting the cheese and chips, they probably would freeze well. I make mine 15 per batch but use a lot of ground beef – they freeze very well. The peppers become a bit watery but you’re going to cut them up anyway. The great flavor is still there.
Loved it, halved the peppers as they were oddly shaped. Will be putting this recipe into the rotation. Signed a meat eater. Thanks Meggan