Italian Stuffed Peppers

 Italian Stuffed Peppers ~ 

Colorful bell peppers stuffed with a saucy mixture of rice, spinach, mushrooms, and vegan mozzarella for a delicious twist on the classic!

These peppers are easy to make and ready to serve in about an hour.

Stuffed peppers also one of those dishes that take me back to my childhood.

I have memories of green bell peppers packed with ground beef and rice on regular rotation in my house as a kid.  Thankfully, these are not the peppers of my youth.

Today, I present to you a delicious and meatless upgrade to those old school stuffed peppers.

For these stuffed peppers, we’re keeping the rice but replacing the ground beef with hearty mushrooms and spinach.

Italian-seasoned Panko bread crumbs add a satisfying crunch and the vegan mozzarella cheese adds the ….well, it adds the cheesiness.

These were practically inhaled by my family in record time.

Note that this recipe includes pre-cooked rice and prepared marinara sauce!

If you’re feeling fancy and want to make your own sauce, go for it!

Here’s a recipe for a quick and easy homemade marinara sauce:

Easy Classic Marinara Sauce –

Why you’ll love this sauce:

• Only a handful of simple ingredients are needed
• Ready to go in about 15 minutes
• Knocks the socks off store-bought marinara any day

Ingredients needed for Italian Stuffed Peppers:

• olive oil
• shallot
• cremini mushrooms – These are sometimes labeled as baby bella mushrooms.
• baby spinach leaves
• marinara sauce – From a jar or homemade.
• cooked rice – This recipe is a great way to use up leftover rice.
• vegan mozzarella cheese 
• Italian-seasoned Panko breadcrumbs – Check the label; some brands contain dairy.
• bell peppers – Get colorful with a variety of red, orange, green, and yellow peppers!
• Italian-flat-leaf parsley 

How to make Italian Stuffed Peppers:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the vegetables. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently 2-3 minutes, until vegetables are softened and fragrant. Add spinach and continue cooking another 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted.

Add marinara sauce and pre-cooked rice, stirring gently to combine. Remove from heat.

Fold in Panko breadcrumbs and cheese.

Fill each hollowed out bell pepper with rice mixture and place in prepared baking dish. Top with additional cheese, if desired.

Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Top with extra breadcrumbs and a sprinkling of parsley.

Serve hot.

More Italian-inspired recipes:

Originally published November 18, 2016. Updated February 13, 2021.