Come along and be a part of Stela’s Food Stories!

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

by Stela Kordić

Fast, simple and umami-bursting vegetarian stuffed peppers with oyster mushrooms and buckwheat that you have to try!

Oven tray full of stuffed bell peppers with melted parmesan on top.

Most traditional recipes, from Croatian to Hungarian stuffed peppers, have minced meat as the main ingredient. But what if we could make them vegetarian from time to time?
My vegetarian stuffed peppers are filled with red onion, kohlrabi, oyster mushrooms, buckwheat, and tomato sauce. Everything is topped with parmesan cheese.

Stuffing halved bell peppers before cooking them in the oven.

Substitution tips:

Oyster mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms, which also pack a strong umami flavour, are the best substitution for oyster mushrooms.

Buckwheat: Even though it is closest to quinoa and amaranth, it can be substituted with grains like barley or millet.

Kohlrabi: I like the freshness that kohlrabi brings to this recipe, but it will also work without it. In that case, just add more red onion.

Red onion: You can easily change red onion for yellow onion.

Let me know if you try this recipe! Drop a comment and tag your photo with @stelasfoodstories on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations!

Dietary Labels

Vegetarian stuffed peppers

Difficulty:

Fast, simple and umami-bursting vegetarian stuffed peppers with oyster mushrooms and buckwheat that you have to try! My vegetarian stuffed......

Prep time 40

Cook time 55

Total time 95

Cutting board

Vegetable knife

Baking tray

Pot (16 cm)

Skillet pan

Mortar

Grater

Keep the screen ON

Servings:

4

Ingredients

500 g bell peppers

30 ml or 2 tbsp olive oil

100 g red onion

120 g kohlrabi

200 g oyster mushrooms

160 g buckwheat

2 g or 1 tsp coriander seeds

4 oregano sprigs

4 thyme sprigs

300 ml tomato sauce (for the filling)

100 ml tomato sauce (for the top)

80 g parmesan cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Heat up the oven to 180 ºC or 356 °F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Complete step

Step 2

Cut the bell peppers into halves lengthwise and discard the seeds. Leave the tops on to preserve their natural shape. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt. Bake them for 35 minutes.

Complete step

Step 3

Cut the red onion and the kohlrabi into small dice.

Complete step

Step 4

Clean the mushrooms with a wet cloth. Cut them into thin stripes.

Complete step

Step 5

Toast the buckwheat in a pan for 2-3 minutes. Add it to boiling water using a ratio of 1:1 and cook it for 7 minutes with a lid on.

Note

At this point, it will still be slightly undercooked. Don’t worry. It will finish cooking in the oven as a part of the filling.

Complete step

Step 6

Toast the coriander seeds until fragrant and grind them in a mortar.

Complete step

Step 7

Heat up a tbsp of olive oil in the same pan and cook the mushrooms on medium-high heat. Salt them and cook for 7 minutes with a lid on until soft. Uncover and let the water evaporate.`Put them aside.

Complete step

Step 8

Grate parmesan. Remove stalks from fresh oregano and thyme and chop them down.

Complete step

Step 9

Sweat the diced red onion and kohlrabi in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent and soft for 8-10 min. Add coriander seeds and herbs. Add tomato sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Note

Add soda bicarbonate to red onion and kohlrabi together with salt in a ratio of 1:1. The increase in pH will start the Maillard reaction sooner and make the sweating process much faster.

Complete step

Step 10

Add buckwheat and mushrooms to the pan and incorporate well on low heat. You can add the liquid that peppers release while roasting to the filling, it is full of flavour.

Complete step

Step 11

Fill up the bell peppers with the prepared stuffing. Spread the extra tomato sauce and sprinkle the grated parmesan on top.

Note

Don’t overfill the peppers! The filling needs to be surrounded by the pepper flesh and the toppings. If not, the buckwheat tends to dry out.

Complete step

Step 12

Put them back into the oven for another 20 minutes. Take them out once the cheese has completely melted.

Serve them straight from the oven while hot and juicy!

Complete step

How to store

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make a bigger batch and store it in your fridge for the next 3 days in an airtight container. Just heat them up in the oven, and they will be perfect!
You can also freeze these vegetarian stuffed peppers. Use them within 3-4 months. Thaw them inside your fridge the night before you want to use them.

I hope you’ll enjoy this super easy nutritious vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe. If you try it out, share it with us in the comments below! Can’t wait to see your pictures! And don’t forget the tag @stelasfoodstories.

*Stela’s Food Stories is a part of the Amazon Affiliates Program. If you make a purchase through one of our recommended links, we may earn a commission that will help us support the site and keep bringing you unique content.

Dietary Labels

Be the first one to find out about our newest recipes, latest stories and most recent interviews! Come along and be a part of Stela’s Food Stories!

You may also like

Be the first one to find out about our newest recipes, latest stories and most recent interviews! Come along and be a part of Stela’s Food Stories!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Be the first one to find out about our newest recipes, latest stories and most recent interviews! Come along and be a part of Stela’s Food Stories!

Cooking mode

The option on mobile devices where the screen stays on during food preparation, allowing continuous access to recipes, instructions without the need for unlocking the device again.

If you have any questions, suggestions or want to collaborate, reach out and let me know what’s on your mind.