These Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers are loaded with simple, flavorful ingredients and topped with guacamole and pico de gallo. A healthy, satisfying meal that the whole family will enjoy, ready in less than 45 minutes.

How to Make Rice and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are a great option for dinner because they’re pretty simple and relatively quick to make, but still an impressive meal. The peppers take a bit of time to soften in the oven while the rice cooks over the stove. Everything is ready at about the same time, so no reheating required!

Start by cutting the bell peppers. I prefer smaller peppers, but any size works. Simply slice them down the middle and use a paring knife to remove any seeds. Lay them down on a baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil over plus a pinch of salt. You’ll want to bake the peppers facing up so they don’t steam on the inside. We want the bottoms to get a little charred too.

Depending on the thickness of your peppers, they should take around 25 minutes to soften. One time I had these super beefy ones and they took almost 40!

While the peppers cook, make the rice and beans! I chose to use white rice here, because it cooks in half the time as brown. You can use brown if you want, but just be prepared to wait for a while. This cilantro lime rice is pretty simple, just a base of sautéed onion, garlic and jalapeño for a touch of heat. A few spices, Mexican oregano goes wonderfully here if you can find it. The black beans get added at the end so they don’t get mushy.

Once the vegetables have sautéed, the dry rice needs a few minutes to toast with all the spices. Once you smell that nice nuttiness, pour in some water and bring everything up to boil. Cook the rice, covered, for about 15 minutes. Once tender and all the water has absorbed, turn off the heat and stir in the black beans cilantro and lime juice.

My biggest tip for making these black bean stuffed peppers? Don’t skimp on the salt. This recipe doesn’t have a ton of fat, so a good pinch of salt here and there during cooking really helps enhance the flavors.

What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Unlike some stuffed pepper recipes, these don’t have any cheese or melty topping, I think the fresh flavors in the rice are best on their own. Once everything is done cooking, you can go ahead and pile the rice and beans into the peppers. Now I say in the recipe that guac is optional, but it’s really not. I mean, don’t cheat yourself out of a good guac experience with these peppers. It is so good. Plus some pico de gallo kind of ties the whole thing together. Serve warm and enjoy!

More Recipes to Try

• Italian Stuffed Peppers with Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Balsamic Lentil Ragu with Sweet Corn Polenta
• Poblano Pumpkin Seed Enchiladas with Black Beans
• Vegan Breakfast Burrito

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

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These flavorful stuffed red bell peppers are loaded with fluffy cilantro lime rice, black beans and Mexican inspired spices then topped with guacamole and pico de Gallo for a delicious vegan dinner in under an hour.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp oil, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
• 1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 3-4 red bell peppers, halved
• Guacamole and pico de galo for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Place the peppers in a large baking dish with the rounded side facing down and rub with 1 tbsp olive oil plus a pinch of salt. Roast for 25- 35 minutes, until tender and beggining to char.
3. For the beans and rice, heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When shimmering, add the onion plus a big pinch of salt and cook for 3-5 minutes, until translucent.
4. Add the garlic, jalapeño and spices. Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and toast for another minute so, stirring occasionally.
5. Pour in 2 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook undisturbed for 12-15 minutes, until tender and the water absorbs. Taste for salt and add more as needed.
6. Stir in the beans, cilantro and lime juice. 
   
7. Spoon the rice into the peppers and serve with guacamole and pico de gallo.

Notes

Brown rice may be substituted for white, it will just take longer to cook. About 40-45 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 192Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 334mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 8gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g

All nutritional info is an estimation