Easy Vegan Meal Prep: Stuffed Red Peppers

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Being a vegan or vegetarian has its upside in terms of health, supporting a healthy planet and of course by protecting our furry friends. It can however, pose a small problem when you’re looking for high powered, delicious and still easy vegan meal prep recipes.

If you don’t have time to meal prep for yourself, that’s why we’re here and that’s why we cook these Vegan Stuffed Red Peppers every 5-6 weeks as a part of our plant forward menu. But if you do have time to cook, then you’re in luck because today, we’re sharing the recipe!

These ingredients are easy to find, inexpensive and this recipe is super easy to follow. The meal when it’s finished, is beautiful, plant forward and sure to impress your friends, family and coworkers!

Easy Vegan Meal Prep: Stuffed Red Pepper Ingredients

Stuffed Pepper

  • 1 cup Dry Quinoa
  • 1 cup Dry Black Beans
  • 1 cup Fresh Corn Kernels
  • 1 ½ cups Salsa Fresca
  • 2 Tbsp diced Fresh Cilantro
  • 3/4 tsp Cumin
  • 2 ¼ Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 3/4 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 Large Red Bell Peppers (or 4 Small)

From Scratch Red Pepper Dressing

  • 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper
  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Garlic Salt
  • 1-2 cloves of Garlic
  • 1 ½ tsp Lime Juice
  • 1 ½ Tbsp Water

Serves 4: Nutrition per serving: 414 calories, 16g protein, 11g fat, 13g fiber, 9g sugar

How to Make the Stuffed Red Peppers

  1. Rinse and soak beans overnight. Rinse and boil for an hour, drain and rinse.*
  2. Add quinoa to sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Cover and cook until quinoa is soft and water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.*
  3. Shuck the fresh corn and remove kernels with a knife*.
  4. In a large bowl, add cooked beans, quinoa, fresh corn, salsa fresca, cilantro, cumin, lime juice and salt. Mix well to combine.
  5. Slice the bell peppers in half and remove stem, core and seeds. Fill the peppers with the quinoa blend.
  6. Add all sauce ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Final season to your taste. Poor over peppers just before serving.

*All these steps can be done in bulk and leftovers can be frozen in single serve containers for up to 2 months. 

Nutrition Comparison: Vegan Stuffed Red Pepper vs. Traditional

To boost the nutrition of this dish and not cut any flavor, we made these three Clean & Colorful upgrades to a traditional stuffed pepper.

  1. We used a quinoa and black bean blend to bring your protein versus ground beef as you traditionally find. Check out the difference it makes in cutting fat and adding fiber below!
  2. We top our Stuffed Red Peppers with a to-die for, also vegan red pepper dressing versus traditional cheddar or mozzarella cheese. We’re adding more antioxidants, healthy fats and fiber instead of saturated dairy fat. Your gut will thank you!
  3. We swapped traditional processed white rice for quinoa, delivering a 300% increase in fiber and 67% more protein!

Nutrition Facts (per serving) Summary

  • 414 vs. 540 = 23% fewer calories
  • 11g vs. 43 = 74% less fat (mostly all saturated fat)
  • 13g vs. 3.3 = 300% more fiber
  • 100% Plant Protein

If you’re looking for a  delicious and easy vegan meal prep recipe, you should bookmark this page right now!

Reminder: If you want us to cook for you, check out this week’s menu and place your order before Friday at 1pm!