Spain may be more well known for their pork dishes, but there are many Spanish vegetarian recipes that are mouthwatering classics! These vegetarian Spanish stuffed peppers with rice and cheese are no exception.
If you love stuffed peppers, don't miss these recipes for pork stuffed peppers, stuffed eggplant, and tuna stuffed piquillo peppers.
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Introduction
After a year of eating out almost every day of the week, being back in my kitchen feels amazing. My resolution to start cooking again coincided with my new gig as the About.com Spanish food expert. I'll admit I was weary about taking on more work, but it's been the motivation I needed to make myself cook on a regular basis. I've realized that cooking is essential to my physical and mental health--it's my therapy!
Lately, vegetarian Spanish dishes have been my obsession. It's often challenging to find vegetarian Spanish food in restaurants even though it's commonplace in Spanish homes. Some of the best vegetarian food I've ever had has been in Spain, although no one categorizes these dishes as "vegetarian food."
This recipe for vegetarian Spanish stuffed peppers with rice and cheese is based on Claudia Roden's recipe. I added smoky ñora peppers and creamy tetilla cheese to my version. Who doesn't love adding cheese?
Ingredients
This vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe takes many of the same standard ingredients found in any Spanish pantry, but it's super simple to make and the flavor combinations are comforting and delicious! Let's talk about the key ingredients you'll need.
- Bell Peppers: You can use any color of bell pepper for this recipe, but I prefer to use red ones, as they're the sweetest ones. Green peppers will be the most bitter.
- Short-Grain Rice: I tend to opt for a Spanish short-grain rice variety, such as bomba, as it absorbs a lot of liquid without getting mushy. However, a risotto rice variety like Arborio will also work well.
- Tetilla Cheese: This creamy Spanish cow's milk cheese pairs perfectly with the moist, flavorful rice filling and homemade tomato sauce. I can never turn down adding cheese to a recipe!
- Ñora Pepper: This sweet dried chili pepper adds a wonderful smoky flavor to the homemade tomato sauce. If you can't find a Spanish ñora pepper, any sweet dried chili will work.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Spanish Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Pulse the tomatoes in a blender until they're broken down with some chunks. (image 1)
- Heat olive oil in a pan, then sauté the garlic and cayenne for 30 seconds. Add the wine or brandy, tomato purée, sugar, and salt and simmer for 25 minutes, or until reduced. (image 2)
- To make the rice filling, sauté the onion in olive oil until they're starting to brown, then add a ñora pepper and cook for 2 minutes or so. (image 3)
- Add the diced tomatoes, sugar, and salt, and simmer until the mixture breaks down and thickens. (image 4)
- Rinse the rice in cold water, then add it to the sauce and stir for 30 seconds. Add a cup of liquid and bring it to a simmer, then gradually add the remaining liquid until it's all absorbed. Cook until the rice is al dente, then remove the ñora pepper. (image 5)
- Cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds and membranes. Stuff each pepper about one-third full of the rice mixture. (image 6)
- Add a few cubes of cheese (or a layer of grated cheese). (image 7)
- Cover with more rice, then place the top of the pepper back on to be the lids. (image 8)
- Spread the tomato sauce in a baking pan, then put the stuffed peppers on top. Cover with foil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 1 hour, then uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. (image 9)
- Let the peppers cool for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy! (image 10)
Recipe FAQs
Although you can boil the peppers before stuffing them, there's no need to do that. The stuffed peppers are baked for 1 hour and 15 minutes at a high heat, which will definitely cook the peppers through without making them mushy or causing them to lose their shape.
These Spanish vegetarian stuffed peppers are stuffed with a flavorful mixture of rice, vegetables, and cheese and served in a simple Spanish tomato sauce. It's the perfect hearty and flavorful vegetarian meal!
Make sure that the filling isn't too liquidy or soupy; the rice filling should have absorbed all the liquid. Putting the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan instead of putting it inside of the peppers will also cut down on moisture inside as well.
Serve
I like to serve these Spanish vegetarian stuffed peppers as an appetizer to go along with meats like pinchos morunos, albóndigas in almond sauce, or pollo en salsa. But you can also enjoy them as a vegetarian main course and pair it with a simple ensalada mixta and a slice of apple olive oil cake for a delightful, healthy meal!
Expert Tips
- Use 1 cayenne pepper for a milder sauce, and 2 or more for a spicier sauce.
- Depending on the rice you use, you may need more or less than 2 cups of vegetable stock. Just add enough so that the filling is moist, and only pour in as much liquid as the rice can absorb.
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Easy Vegetarian Spanish Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
For the Spanish Tomato Sauce
- 1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes cores removed
- extra virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1-2 dried cayenne peppers depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 splash sherry wine or brandy
- salt to taste
For the Rice Filling
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ large sweet onion diced
- 1 ñora pepper or any dried sweet chili pepper
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 ¼ cups short grain rice or risotto rice such as Arborio
For the Stuffed Peppers
- 4 bell peppers
- creamy cow's milk cheese such as Spanish tetilla
Instructions
Making the Tomato Sauce
- Pulse the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until they're still slightly chunky.
- Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil and set over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cayenne peppers and sauté for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the wine or brandy, tomato purée, sugar, and salt to taste.
- Simmer the sauce uncovered on low for 25 minutes, or until it has thickened and reduced. For a not-too-spicy sauce, I recommend removing the cayenne peppers when it's done cooking.
Making the Rice Filling
- Heat some olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat, then add the onions and cook until starting to brown. Add the dried ñora pepper and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, sugar, and salt and simmer until the sofrito thickens.
- Rinse the rice under cold water, add it to the sofrito, and stir for about 30 seconds on medium high heat. Add one cup of vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
- Lower the heat and gradually add the remaining stock, about ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly. Only add new liquid when everything is almost completely absorbed.
- Cook the mixture until the rice is al dente, meaning it is still a bit firm and even slightly underdone, as it will cook more in the oven. Remove the ñora pepper.
Stuffing the Peppers
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare the bell peppers by slicing off the tops; make sure to save them to use as lids. Remove the seeds and membranes with a spoon.
- Stuff each pepper about one-third full with the rice filling, then add a few cubes of cheese (or a layer of grated cheese). Fill the pepper the rest of the way with the rice mixture, but don't pack it down because the rice will expand a bit while baking.
- Spread the tomato sauce in a baking dish, then place each stuffed pepper on top of the sauce. Put the pepper lids on and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 1 hour at 400°F (200°C). Uncover and bake for about 15 minutes more, or until the peppers are browned on top.
- Let the peppers stand for 10 minutes or so, then serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Use 1 cayenne pepper for a milder sauce, and 2 or more for a spicier sauce.
- Depending on the rice you use, you may need more or less than 2 cups of vegetable stock. Just add enough so that the filling is moist, and only pour in as much liquid as the rice can absorb.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
David Crichton
Hi Lauren
I love stuffed peppers but can't remember the last time I ate them. Let alone cooked them. I think they can be very boring if not done correctly.
Love this recipe.
Pop Spencer
Very similar to those I cooked a couple of days ago with 6 sweet baby peppers. I stuffed them with onion, garlic, finely chopped mushrooms, peeled and chopped tomatoes and lentils, all cooked until it thickened, then added some cumin and goats cheese. Put them in a dish and, topped with some more goats cheese and sprinkled them with parmesan. In the oven until starting to brown and served with broad beans sautéed with garlic. And stuffed peppers are one of my wife's favourites, so we were both happy. Oh, and accompanied them with a nice Rioja
Lauren Aloise
Yum! Those sound amazing. I love baked goat cheese so I bet I'd love these!
Frank Teixeira
For me, stuffed peppers are "ho-hum". But, within that category, I prefer peppers stuffed w/zucchini,pepper,onion,leek,eggplant,garlic, sauteed,mixed w/bechamel, topped w/grated cheese and breadcrumbs and baked at 200c for 40 min or so.
Lauren Aloise
Yum, those sound so good! I love stuffed peppers so I'll give them a try!