Red, orange, green, and yellow bell peppers remind me of colorful Christmas tree ornaments, so use that to your advantage this holiday season to introduce your family to nutrient-packed peppers.

Rich in vitamins C and A, peppers are versatile, crunchy, and filled with big flavors. You can slice them and serve with this Rainbow Veggie Dip, saute and add to pasta dishes, soups, and tacos and wraps …

… or use them as the foundation for these fun-to-eat Corny Bean Bell Pepper Boats.

My stuffed pepper recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free, and if you leave out the cheese, it’s also vegan.

[Tweet “Colorful Corny Bean Bell Pepper Boats are #GlutenFree #Vegetarian + they’re fun for kids to eat”]

My vegetarian stuffed peppers are filled with a mixture of canned baked beans, corn kernels, rice (I used a frozen rice medley from Trader Joe’s), salsa, and cilantro. If you’re a cilantro hater, just leave it out!

Corny Bean Bell Pepper Boats

 

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 4

• Serving size: 2 halves
• Calories: 310

• Fat: 4.5g
• Saturated fat: 2g
• Unsaturated fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 58g
• Sodium: 650mg
• Fiber: 9g
• Protein: 12g

Recipe type: Dinner

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I use red bell peppers for this recipe, but any color would work well. As for the filling, you can shake that up too by adding veggies like chopped kale or spinach or toss in some diced cooked chicken or sausage.

Ingredients

• 4 medium red bell peppers
• 2 cups cooked white or brown rice
• One 15-ounce can vegetarian baked beans (undrained)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• ½ cup salsa
• ½ packed cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
2. Cut each bell pepper in half, lengthwise. Remove the seeds and ribs, leaving the stems intact. Set aside.
3. Place the rice, beans, corn, salsa, and cilantro in a large bowl and stir to combine. Fill each of the pepper halves with the rice and bean mixture (a generous ½ cup per pepper half).
4. Arrange the peppers in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the peppers are tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Return to the oven until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Notes

Each serving has nearly a day's worth of vitamin A and over 200% of your daily requirement for vitamin C. Your immune system will thank you!

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