These delicious sweet potato–stuffed peppers are an easy anti-inflammatory meal, thanks to the combination of sweet potatoes, black beans and bell peppers, which are all packed with fiber and antioxidants. This vegetarian dinner calls for microwaveable brown rice for ease, but you can also use leftover brown rice if you have it on hand.
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These delicious Sweet Potato-Black Bean Stuffed Peppers are more than just a tasty recipe—they’re an anti-inflammatory–friendly dinner! These colorful bell peppers hold a warm blend of sweet potatoes, beans and brown rice. Sweet potatoes are great for inflammation because they’re loaded with beta carotene, while fiber-rich beans help support gut health. Keep reading for our top tips, tricks and creative variations to help you whip up these stuffed peppers for dinner tonight!
Tips from the Eating Well Test Kitchen
These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too!
- Make sure the peppers are all about the same size so that they cook evenly and hold the same amount of filling. They should be on the smaller side, about 6 ounces each. If your peppers are large, you may not have enough filling to stuff the peppers fully.
- The baking pan should be full to help keep the peppers upright. If they’re tipping over in the pan, use a smaller pan or keep them upright with a small piece of balled-up foil as support.
- We like the fun and festive look of different-colored peppers, but all one color will work too! Red, orange and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers, but all will work well.
Nutrition Notes
Sweet potatoes may be best known for their inflammation-fighting vitamin A. But they’re also loaded with soluble fiber, which keeps your heart healthy by sweeping cholesterol out of your body.
Black beans contain a unique fiber called resistant starch that travels to your gut to produce compounds that vanquish inflammation body-wide. Did we mention they’re also rich in heart-healthy plant protein?
Bell peppers are more than just the colorful serving vessel in this recipe. These vitamin C powerhouses may also fight illness and infection. One bell pepper packs three times as much immune-enhancing vitamin C as an orange!
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Ingredients
6 small assorted-color bell peppers (about 6 oz. each):max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/110524-EatingWell_StuffedPep-376-04ef404858fa4706ba789b4210e8e72a.jpg)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat an 11-by-7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cut about ¼ inch off tops of 6 peppers; remove and discard ribs and seeds. Coarsely chop the pepper tops, discarding stems; set aside the chopped peppers (about ½ cup). Place the whole peppers, cut-sides down, in the prepared baking dish; bake until just slightly softened, about 15 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Leave the oven on.
While the peppers cool, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Reserve 2 tablespoons scallions. Add the remaining scallions (about 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons), the reserved chopped peppers and the chopped sweet potato to the pot; cover and cook, stirring frequently and adjusting the heat as needed to prevent overbrowning, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 3 cups baby spinach; cook, uncovered and stirring constantly, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir rinsed beans, undrained tomatoes, prepared rice, 2 tablespoons cilantro and 1 teaspoon each salt, garlic powder, cumin and paprika until well combined. Stir in 1 cup cheese; remove from heat.
Flip the peppers cut-sides up in the baking dish; divide the sweet potato mixture evenly among the peppers, mounding and pressing lightly if needed. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake until the peppers are tender, the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons scallions and ½ tablespoon cilantro.
What’s the best way to reheat stuffed peppers?
If you have leftovers, they heat up nicely in the microwave. Cook them on High for about 2 minutes or until warmed throughout.
Do I have to bake the peppers before stuffing them?
Yes. Pre-baking the peppers helps soften them and lets out some of their moisture so the filling doesn’t get soggy. They should be just slightly soft. It’s best to bake them cut-side down so they hold their shape.
What other ingredients can I add to my stuffed peppers?
You can add a different bean like pinto beans, and try mixing them with quinoa instead of brown rice. If you don’t like spice, use canned diced tomatoes without green chilies. If you want to take the heat up a notch, try them with pepper Jack cheese instead of Colby Jack.