Easy, 9-ingredient Couscous Stuffed Peppers! Beautiful peppers with fluffy couscous, black beans, tomatoes, and delicious fiesta flavors.
Beautiful stuffed peppers with a Mexican-inspired flare! I was originally planning to use a rice mixture for the stuffing (which is a bit more conventional). But a box of couscous was staring back at me from the pantry and convinced me to try that instead. We found it to be a fun and great change of pace – and loved the texture it brought!
This is a super easy recipe to assemble. While the couscous is cooking, you can prepare the flavorful black bean mixture and get your peppers ready to go. Then just stuff ’em and and let the oven work it’s magic.
Quick note: couscous is a gluten grain made from crushed durum wheat, but you can easily make this recipe gluten-free by subbing in quinoa instead! It’s lovely both ways. Hope you enjoy as well.
PS – come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and share a photo if you make or adapt these! I love seeing your beautiful recreations.
Vegan Couscous Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous (or sub quinoa for gluten-free)
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted)
- 1 cup vegan shredded cheese (I like Follow Your Heart brand)
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
Toppings (optional):
- Avocado, cilantro, guacamole, salsa, green onions, etc.
Instructions
- Cook couscous: boil 1 cup salted water in a saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous, stir, and cover. Let sit 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff.
- Meanwhile, dice onion and mince garlic.
- In a skillet over med-high heat, saute onion for 7-8 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/veggie broth for no-oil saute method.)
- When onions are soft, add minced garlic, cumin, and chili powder. Stir and saute 1-2 more minutes.
- Add black beans (rinsed and drained) and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine and heat for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl (or your skillet if it's large enough), combine the black bean mixture with cooked couscous and vegan cheese. Stir.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Remove stem and clean out inner ribs with a spoon.
- Fill each pepper half, lightly packing down, and place in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove foil, add a sprinkle of additional cheese on top if desired, and bake for 5-10 more minutes. Garnish with any desired toppings before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)
Enjoying these Couscous Stuffed Peppers? Feel free to also check out these Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, Vegan Burrito Bowls with Creamy Chipotle Sauce, and Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
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