Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian
These Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian are stuffed with a savory flavorful rice filling spiced up with a delicious tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. A quick and easy vegetarian side dish or dinner for busy weeknights.
Today I have a special guest taking over the blog. I would love you to meet and welcome my friend, Angela. She blogs over at Lemoine Family Kitchen. She blogs about all things deliciously craving and mostly Italian recipes from her home country. I’ll leave you to it!
Table of Contents
Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian Recipe
Hi friends, this is Angela stopping by from LeMoine Family Kitchen to share my recipe for Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian with Rice & Tomato Sauce.
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I’ve been so fortunate with a wonderfully fruitful garden this year and these cubanelle peppers are one of my favorites.
Though these peppers are generally used heavily in Cuban food, my grandmother always made them with her Italian flair.
Growing up I really did think that these were Italian pepper, even now I still tend to use them in recipes with Italian inspiration.
This wonderfully delicious recipe for Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers is vegetarian and made with Cubanelle peppers.
Cubanelle peppers are related to a bell pepper but are sweet, with a pale green color, smaller and better for stuffing because they have thinner skin and meatier inside than most peppers.
How to make Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian?
Here I decided to stuff them with a simple rice & tomato sauce mixture.
I made a quick tomato sauce and simmered it for 30 minutes. It is flavorful and so fresh-tasting. I cooked the rice separately until the last 10 minutes of cooking when I finished the cooking right in the sauce.
By doing this, the rice absorbs all that delicious sauce and becomes creamy. These are great simple vegetarian side dishes.
Ingredients:
- Cubanelle peppers
- Uncooked brown rice
- Tomato puree garlic cloves, rough chopped
- Finely diced onion
- Basil leaves, roughly chopped
- Salt & pepper
- Olive oil
- Grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
Tools:
- Baking dish
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small pot, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Sauté until softened stiring with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the tomato puree and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes
- Cook the rice in boiling water, 10 minutes shy of the suggested cooking time.
- Drain the rice well and add to the sauce. Continue to cook the rice in the sauce until cooked through and most of the sauce is absorbed by the rice.
- Stir in the grated cheese to the rice mixture.
- Cut the tops of the peppers off, saving them to the side. Remove the seeds.
- Season the inside of each pepper with a sprinkle of salt and pepper – don’t skip this step!
- Stuff each pepper well with the rice filling. Using a couple of toothpicks secure the tops back onto the pepper.
- Place all the stuffed peppers onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for about 30 minutes until the pepper is softened and lightly golden.
- You can garnish it with a little extra grated cheese.
Cuban culture offers so many attractions, and food is undoubtedly one of them.
The humble culinary style remains untouched by modern technology, which makes Cuban recipes both simple and appetizing.
Cuban cuisine combines a story with an unforgettable flavor. Each Cuban recipe has a different version based on the resources available. You can check out these 25 delicious Cuban recipes from Chef’s Pencil that you will definitely love!
But for now, enjoy these delicious Stuffed Cubanelles!!!
Cooking Tips
* It’s so important to season the inside of the peppers prior to stuffing them. Make sure you don’t skip this quick step. Seasoning your stuffed peppers with salt and pepper before stuffing them will make them taste much better.
* Depending on your oven type, you might want to seal them with parchment paper or foil when prepping the stuffed cubanelles before putting them in the oven for at least half the baking time. Then remove the foil and let the finish until softened and lightly golden.
* Don’t worry too much if the peppers stick a little on the bottom of the pan, sometimes I’ve had to scrape them off probably from not adding enough water or oil, but do the best you can!
* You can spread some mozzarella cheese along with parmigiano on top for an extra chessy texture.
* If you really like spicy food, you can add chili powder or your favorite spicy spice.
Variations & Substitutions
If you are non-vegetarian, try using ground beef or turkey or ground italian sausage.
Try chicken sausage in place of pork sausage.
Use quinoa, cous-cous or farro in place of rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you can’t find Cubanelle peppers in your local grocery store or farmers market, you can simply use sweet bell peppers, Anaheim peppers or Poblano peppers if you don’t mind a little heat.
Unlike typical stuffed peppers which often uses rice and even tomatoes, you can use other Italian ingredients like breadcrumbs, beef, basil, parsley, and Romano cheese.
Cubanelles are commonly used in salads, casseroles, or mole sauces. Subs or pizza can also be stuffed with tasty fillings, and they are great on subs and pizzas. You can use them in general cooking, using them as you would any bell type.
Cubanelle peppers are also known as Italian frying peppers. Their thin walls and sweetness, which is brought up by frying, is a staple at Italian fairs.
The Cubanelle, also known as “Cuban pepper” and “Italian frying pepper”, is a variety of sweet pepper of the species Capsicum annuum. When unripe, it is light yellowish-green in color, but will turn bright red if allowed to ripen.
More Side Dish Recipes to Try
If you enjoyed these Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian, you might also love these other side dish recipe ideas too:
🥣 Recipe
Italian Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers Vegetarian
Equipment
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 10-12 cubanelle peppers
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 2 garlic cloves rough chopped
- 3 Tbsp finely diced onion
- 4-6 basil leaves rough chopped
- salt & pepper
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- In a small pot, over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Sauté until softened.
- Stir in the tomato puree and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes
- Cook the rice in boiling water, 10 minutes shy of the suggested cooking time.
- Drain the rice well and add to the sauce. Continue to cook the rice in the sauce until cooked through and most of the sauce is absorbed by the rice.
- Stir in the grated cheese to the rice mixture.
- Cut the tops of the peppers off, saving them to the side. Remove the seeds.
- Season the inside of each pepper with a sprinkle of salt and pepper – don’t skip this step!
- Stuff each pepper well with the rice filling. Using a couple of toothpicks secure the tops back onto the pepper.
- Place all the stuffed peppers onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for about 30 minutes until the pepper is softened and lightly golden.
- You can garnish it with a little extra grated cheese.
Hope you like this stuffed peppers recipe!!! Stop by my blog and check out some more delicious recipes!!!
Til’ next time…
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