Hello lovelies, today I have a quick, but still healthy and balanced recipe for you: stuffed peppers with spinach. This dish was especially well received with the kids. And since it’s made in the oven, it’s quick on the table with little work. Perfect for an after school lunch or a dinner after a hard day.
If oven dishes are as popular with your kids as they are with mine, my new Mexican tortilla lasagna with beans and corn is our current favourite for family dinners with guests.
Stuffed peppers was one of my favorite dishes when I was a kid. Back then we ate it with a mushroom and tuna filling. My version is no less delicious, but comes without any animal products. My pepper is filled with fresh spinach and creamy vegan ricotta (I've used the ricotta from New Roots), but you can also take a cream cheese. In combination with tomatoes, which turn out very aromatic in the oven, the filling is simply delicious.
Recipe
Stuffed peppers with spinach
A quick and healthy dish that is especially well liked with kids.
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 150 gr 5 oz. fresh spinach
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 150 gr 5 oz. ricotta/vegan cream cheese
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- Italian herbs
- Grated cheese (vegan)
- Fresh basil & thyme
- 200 gr 7 oz. Orzo/Kritharaki
- Wash the 2 peppers, cut them in half and clean them out
- Finely chop onions and garlic and roast them in olive oil
- Roughly chop the fresh spinach and add it to the pan
- Roast for about 3–5 minutes
- Add ricotta and quickly heat it up
- Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F)
- Put the tomatoes into an ovenproof dish and season them with salt, pepper and Italian herbs
- Place the pepper halves inside and fill them with the spinach ricotta mixture
- Sprinkle grated cheese and basil on top
- Bake for 30 minutes
- In the meantime prepare the orzo/kritharaki according to the packet instructions
- Serve the peppers with the sauce and the noodles
Instead of orzo you can of course just serve rice or any other kind of noodles.
Oven dishes like this one are just super practical for the often hectic family life. You can prepare everything, just put it in the oven half an hour before eating and you have a delicious and nutritious meal ready. The dish is also very good if you want to take something to the office the next day.
You can also easily vary with the side dishes. Either rice, bulgur, quinoa or couscous fit great to the stuffed peppers. And if you want to leave the carbs away, then just eat them with a big salad and no side dish.
Instead of a red pepper, you can of course also take yellow, green or orange peppers, depending on what your favorite kind is. No matter what color: peppers are incredibly healthy, they contain large amounts of potassium, magnesium, zinc and calcium. In addition, the pepper is rich in vitamins. Next to vitamins A and B, it contains a lot of vitamin C. While 100 grams of green peppers contain about 140 milligrams of vitamin C, red tomato peppers contain about 400 milligrams. This makes peppers one of the most vitamin C-rich foods.
And yes I admit, I just can’t get used to calling them peperoni, which is common in Switzerland. Therefore, I stay with peppers, I may be excused and hopefully you still know what is meant :-). No matter what I call them, I hope I was able to inspire you with this simple and quick recipe and you give it a try.
If you love stuffed veggies from the oven, take a look at my filled zucchini with lentils and orzo too. And for even more creamy spinach goodness, my vegan cannelloni with spinach are a real family favorite.
Spinach and peppers are a smart pairing here, because the vitamin C in the peppers helps your body take up more of the iron in the spinach. There is more on that in my guide to plant-based iron sources.
If you are on Pinterest, you can find me here and you can pin this picture:
