Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Orzo Pasta are full of Mediterranean flavors! They’re healthy, easy to make, and will kick your dinner rut to the curb!

My husband's rice loving ways got us stuck in a dinner rut! Every non rice dish I put in front of him he would say "this would be so good with rice." Can you see my eyes rolling, because I think I just saw my brain!

Thank goodness I found ORZO PASTA! This little rice-like pasta is so versatile you can use it in most any dish like my Orzo Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan, which is basically the dish that saved me from a life tortured by rice dishes! It's inspired all of my orzo pasta recipes, and I LOVE orzo in these Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.

Have you ever been in a dinner rut because you can never seem to please everyone, you don't have time to make something new and different, or you feel like if you have to make one more rice dish you for sure are going to run away to Italy to dine al fresco on everything that doesn't include rice?! Oh wait, maybe that's just me...

When I find myself feeling that way I’ll change up one of our family favorite recipes like I did with these Vegetarian Stuffed peppers.

I gravitate towards Southwest flavors with stuffed peppers, but this time I decided to shake things up with a Mediterranean twist!

The Mediterranean flavors in these Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Orzo Pasta take a tried-and-true recipe in a new direction. They’re easy to make, healthy, and you'll totally say goodbye to the dinner rut and hello to exciting new flavors that don't involve RICE!!

What is Orzo Pasta?

Orzo is a type of pasta that is shaped like a grain of rice. It’s made from flour just like any other type of pasta even though the shape of it might suggest otherwise.

Orzo is great for light pasta dishes such as my Garlic and Parmesan Orzo, salads like my Orzo with Spinach and Tomatoes, soups, and dishes like these Orzo Stuffed Peppers.

Even though it is shaped like rice and most can substitute orzo pasta for rice, the two are not interchangeable as orzo is not gluten free.

What to put in Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

The possibilities are endless when it comes to vegetarian stuffed peppers! By using orzo pasta, fresh spinach, and Kalamata olives, I kept the flavors simple and fresh in these Mediterranean style vegetarian stuffed peppers.

How to Make Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

1. Prepare the filling for the vegetarian stuffed peppers first by making the orzo pasta according to package directions. Drain and put the cooked orzo in a large mixing bowl with a bit of olive oil. EXPERT TIP: Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water to combine with pasta to keep it from sticking.
2. To make these vegetarian stuffed peppers extra healthy and flavorful add 2 cups fresh spinach and 1 cup sliced Kalamata olives to the orzo pasta and toss to combine.
3. You can’t have stuffed peppers without the peppers so the next step is to chop 3 bell peppers (any color) in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Set the peppers aside.
4. Pour 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes into a baking dish. Tomato sauce is a great base for stuffed peppers so they don't dry out and it lends itself nicely to Mediterranean flavors. 
5. Season - sprinkle 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper into the sauce and stir.
6. Assemble - place the halved peppers in the baking dish on top of the sauce and spoon a generous amount of the orzo mixture into each pepper. Try to make sure each pepper gets a nice mixture of the pasta, spinach, and olives. Cover the baking dish with foil.

How Long to Bake Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Peppers take a while to cook, but the nice thing is you set the timer, pour a glass of wine and put your feet up for 45 minutes of 'me time'. Isn't making dinner fun?!

• Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.
• When timer sounds the dinner bell, remove foil and sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese onto each pepper.
• Return the baking dish to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

EXPERT TIP: Substitute the Parmesan cheese for Feta or any variety of cheese you like. Or leave the cheese out altogether if you want to keep this dish vegan.

Can I use a different kind of olive?

You can use any type of olives you like with this recipe. Simply substitute your favorite variety of olive for the Kalamata ones. Marinated artichokes are also a great option if you don't care for olives.

Can I Freeze Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Absolutely! Here's how to freeze stuffed peppers:

1. Cook stuffed peppers according to recipe instructions and cool completely.
2. Place stuffed peppers into a freezer-safe dish such as a casserole dish or other food & freezer safe container. Cover completely and freeze. Here are my favorite containers!
3. Stuffed peppers can be frozen 3-6 months before using
4. When ready to enjoy the frozen stuffed peppers, thaw and cook as directed in recipe instructions

Topping Suggestions

Garnish these vegetarian stuffed peppers with fresh herbs. Basil or parsley works great with these flavors.

I highly recommend topping these vegetarian stuffed peppers with Tzatziki sauce. Tzatziki is a creamy Greek cucumber sauce perfect for topping gyros, salads, and chicken and even pork. We love it on my Greek Pita Pizza!

Find my homemade Tzatziki recipe on my Mediterranean Meatball Gyros Sandwich recipe. You'll love it for topping just about anything, but especially on these Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers!

Give these Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers a try and kick your dinner rut to the curb! Leave me a comment to let me know how much you love this recipe!

CLICK HERE TO PIN VEGETARIAN STUFFED PEPPERS FOR LATER

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Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Main

Greek

Yield: 6

Author: Christine Rooney of The Rustic Foodie

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Orzo Pasta

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Orzo Pasta are full of Mediterranean flavors! These stuffed peppers are healthy, easy to make. and will kick your dinner rut to the curb!

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 H & 5 M

ingredients:

• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups spinach (fresh)
• 1 cup Kalamata olives (sliced)
• 3 bell peppers, (large, any color)
• 28 ounce crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• generous pinch salt
• generous pinch pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs such as basil or parsley for garnish (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Orzo Pasta

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare 8 oz. of orzo according to package instructions. Drain the orzo when it is al dente and place it into a large mixing bowl. Pour 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over the orzo and fluff it up with a fork to prevent clumping.
3. Chop 2 cups fresh spinach.
4. Cut 1 cup of Kalamata olives (or olives of choice) into slices.
5. Add spinach and olives to  orzo and mix to combine
6. Cut 3 large bell peppers (any color) in half. Remove seeds and membranes and set aside.
7. Pour 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes into a baking dish and add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper over the crushed tomatoes. Stir the spices into the tomato sauce.
8. Place the halved peppers into the baking dish on top of the tomato sauce and spoon a generous portion of the orzo mixture into each of the pepper halves.
9. Cover with foil and bake the stuffed peppers for 45 minutes. Remove the pan after 45 minutes and sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan cheese (or cheese of choice) onto each pepper. Return the pan (without the foil) to the oven for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
10. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
11. Serve the stuffed peppers with a spoonful of the tomato sauce and garnish with chopped basil or parsley (optional).

NOTES:

•Substitute the Parmesan cheese for Feta or any variety of cheese you like
•Vegan option - leave the cheese out altogether
•Garnish with fresh herbs such as basil or parsley
•Top with Tzatziki Sauce for an extra layer of flavor

Casserole dish:

Casserole Dish

Reusable Meal Prep Containers

Quality Chef Knife

Calories
263.01

Fat (grams)
9.92

Sat. Fat (grams)
2.29

Carbs (grams)
37.13

Fiber (grams)
6.13

Net carbs
30.99

Sugar (grams)
10.70

Protein (grams)
10.29

Sodium (milligrams)
543.52

Cholesterol (grams)
4.80

Nutrition label disclaimer: Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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