Stuffed Peppers With Chickpeas and Cheese

By Melissa Clark

Published June 21, 2024

Stuffed Peppers With Chickpeas and Cheese
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
5(1,424)
Comments
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Cozy, cheesy stuffed peppers are made vegetarian by using chickpeas instead of the usual ground meat. The cumin, tomato paste and chili powder give the filling its depth and heat, and plenty of scallions and herbs keep it bright and fresh. If you’d like to assemble the peppers ahead, you can. They’ll keep in the fridge overnight. Just pop them in the oven and add a few minutes to the baking time. Or bake them ahead and savor them later; these peppers are equally good served hot, warm or at room temperature.

Featured in: A Stuffed Pepper Recipe That Goes Hard on Spiced Chickpeas

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 3large red, yellow or orange bell peppers (a mix is nice), halved crosswise, seeded and membranes scooped out
  • Fine sea or table salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1bunch scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced
  • 1jalapeño, seeded, if you like, and diced
  • 3garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 2(15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon chili powder, more to taste
  • 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
  • 1cup/4 ounces grated extra-sharp Cheddar
  • ¼cup chopped fresh parsley, mint or cilantro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

531 calories; 23 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 62 grams carbohydrates; 18 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 922 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil the cavities and exteriors of the bell pepper halves. Season the cavities all over with salt and pepper. Place peppers cut side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

  2. Step 2

    Add 2 tablespoons oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add white and light green scallion slices (reserving the dark green scallions for garnish) and jalapeño. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chickpeas, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine and cook until tomato paste and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits stuck to the skillet (if there’s still browned bits at the bottom of the skillet, add a tablespoon or two of water to loosen them; the browned bits have all the flavor). Taste a chickpea and add more salt, pepper and chili powder if you like.

  3. Step 3

    Spoon the chickpea mixture into the pepper cavities, filling the peppers up to the top. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake the peppers for 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Top peppers with the cheese and continue to bake until the peppers have fully softened and the Cheddar has melted and browned, 15 to 25 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Drizzle peppers with more olive oil and sprinkle with parsley and reserved scallion greens. Drizzle remaining lemon juice over peppers. When serving, be sure to scrape up any crispy bits on the bottom of the dish.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,424 user ratings
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Comments

Laura W

Delicious vegetarian version! I changed a few things. One - I precooked the pepper halves - rubbed inside half with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper - 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Also, I used one can of chickpeas and added more filler ingredients. About a half cup cooked quinoa, a diced zucchini and a half cup chopped fresh parsley.

Wiffle

The peppers in the photo (and most recipes) are cut lengthwise, through the stem, not crosswise.

Beth R.

Mashing some of the chickpeas gave this a more stuffing-like texture.

AJ

Love this recipe. Quick and easy to make, definitely going in my cooking rotation.. Only things changed were to prebake the unfilled pepper halves for about 10 minutes, used pesto instead of tomato paste, and just mixed the chickpeas with the spices before filling. Figured they're getting cooked in the oven, why cook them beforehand.

Bebe

Best stuffed peppers ever. Cutting the long way through the stem allows use of that mychbvheese and distribution of acid (I had lime— worked great) and final olive oil drizzle.

Jackie

Per suggestions: I oiled the inside of peppers, S & P and microwaved 2 min. After adding the chick peas and seasoning I transferred the mixture to a bowl. I added a splash of oil to the skillet and sautéed one medium diced zucchini, lightly salted. Added the beans back. To this I added about 1/2 cup left over brown rice and a handful of cheese. I used sharp white cheddar. Cooked per the recipe (30 min covered, 10 min uncovered, then added cheese and cooked 10 min more. Delicious!

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