Vegetarian Italian Stuffed Peppers
Vegetarian Italian Stuffed Peppers: roasted bell peppers stuffed with cheesy risotto and baked until soft and fragrant! Ready in just 40 minutes, these stuffed peppers with rice are cheesy, comforting, flavorful and so easy to make! (Naturally Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 4 red and yellow bell peppers medium-sized, fresh, firm with no wrinkles
- 3 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1/2 medium sweet or red onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup (215 g) Arborio rice
- 3 cups (710 g) vegetable broth I recommend low-sodium
- 1 tablespoon tomato sauce or ketchup optional
- 1-2 teaspoon Italian seasoning to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 and 1/2 cup (170 g) shredded Fontina cheese
- 1/4 cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Roast the peppers. Slice the peppers in half (from top to bottom), remove all the seeds and membranes, then drizzle them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt to taste (if desired). Make sure the olive goes on the inner and outer layer of all the peppers. Bake for 15 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Meanwhile, make the risotto filling. Once the peppers are ready, remove them from the oven.
- Prepare the risotto. In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil sizzling, add the minced onion and sautee for 2-3 minutes or until softened, then add in the garlic and sautee for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the rice. Toast the rice for 1-2 minutes or until slightly golden and toasted, stirring constantly. Pour in the vegetable broth, tomato sauce (if using), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, once it's boiling, turn down the heat to medium and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the rice has softened but it's still slightly firm. Make sure to stir the rice from time to time for a creamy risotto! Once the rice is ready, turn off the heat and add 1 cup (115 g) of Fontina cheese to the pot and mix it into the rice until it's melted and creamy.
- Stuff the peppers. Stuff the peppers with the prepared risotto. I like to stuff them until the rice forms a little mound on top. Top them with the remaining Fontina cheese and grated parmesan.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately!
Notes
Make-Ahead Instructions: roast the peppers and allow them to come down to room temperature before storing them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a day. The next day, make the risotto, stuff the peppers, and bake. Please do not stuff the peppers ahead of time as risotto can dry up overnight.
Storing Instructions: allow the peppers to come down to room temperature before storing them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheating Instructions: reheat in the oven at 350 F until hot. The center of the risotto should measure 165 F, you can use a kitchen thermometer (I like this one) to make sure your peppers are fully heated through!
📷 DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?! Tag @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and hashtag it #itsdamnspicy
📷 DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?! Tag @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and hashtag it #itsdamnspicy
Nutrition
Calories: 540kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 19gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1235mgPotassium: 376mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 4632IUVitamin C: 154mgCalcium: 352mgIron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment and star rating on this post and tag @DamnSpicyyy on Instagram & hashtag it #itsdamnspicy!
