Fill Up Fast With Stuffed Peppers

School is in session, and we’re on the lookout for easy, filling, weeknight recipes that everyone will eat. Bonus points if they include a full serving of vegetables. Are we asking for too much?

We may have found our solution with these hearty recipes for stuffed peppers. Think of peppers as delicious, edible ramekins. Fill them with all sorts of tasty ingredients, and then pop them in the oven. You can even let them slow cook all day. Check out these three recipes we found, and then get ready to dream up your own stuffed pepper creations.

Stuffed Peppers: Southwestern Style

This recipe from Pinch of Yum for Quinoa Black Bean Stuffed Peppers is healthy and vegetarian, but it’s packed with protein and fiber. We’re confident it will fill up your family.

Assemble and mix all the ingredients, and then stuff the peppers. You don’t have to pre-cook the quinoa, but be sure to rinse it. Also, don’t skip the step of adding water to the bottom of your slow cooker. The steam helps cook the peppers and quinoa, and it keeps the filling moist.

If you can’t fit all of your peppers in your slow cooker, you can also bake them in the oven. Add water to the bottom of a sheet pan or casserole dish, place the peppers inside, and cover the whole thing with foil. Either way, serve these stuffed peppers topped with cilantro, sour cream, avocado, your favorite salsa — or all of the above.

Stuffed Peppers: Italian Style

While we’ve found that many recipes for stuffed peppers have a Tex-Mex or southwestern flair, other options are out there. This recipe from Delish features Italian flavors. Plus, all the stuffing ingredients in this dish are pre-cooked, so the peppers themselves don’t have to cook for long.

The filling includes Italian sausage, cremini mushrooms (but you chop them so fine, kids won’t even recognize them), and pre-cooked long grain white rice. The recipe calls for Italian blend cheese, but we’re not fans of pre-shredded cheese. Instead, we’d try stirring ricotta into the filling, and then topping the peppers with mozzarella or parmesan. You can even make the filling ahead of time. Then pop the peppers into the oven when everyone gets home and announces they’re starving.

These peppers will probably be more crisp than peppers made in the slow cooker. If you like them softer, you can add water to the bottom of the pan and cover with foil to help steam them. The water will also keep the filling moist if you opt to bake the peppers a bit longer.

Stuffed Peppers: Comfort Food Style

This recipe from Peas and Crayons is a great example of why it's smart to have poached or grilled chicken on hand to add to recipes. The short prep time relies on chicken that’s already cooked, so take some time in advance to get that chicken ready.

The stuffing for these peppers is reminiscent of comfort food: chicken, broccoli, cheese, cream, and garlic sautéed in butter. You can make substitutions to lighten it up, but it won’t look as rich and creamy as the pictures on Peas and Crayons.

When you blanch the peppers and the broccoli. adjust the cook time according to how tender you want them to be. Once again, you can also add water to the baking pan to soften the peppers. Either way, cover the pan with foil while baking. Then remove the foil and broil the peppers for a couple minutes to brown the cheese before serving.