Chorizo Stuffed Peppers

Cheesy Chorizo Stuffed Peppers that are 100% Plant-Based.
The chorizo flavour profile really spices these up!  The chorizo is made of lentils, walnuts and an flavourful spice blend. I also stuff the peppers with rice, tomatoes, parsley and Prairie Melt plant-based cheese. You will find that these peppers not only present beautifully but are also rich, tasty and satisfying.

Recipe tips and tricks:

Cutting the peppers: You can either cut the tops off the peppers or cut them sideways before stuffing. I prefer the latter method, as they cook faster and you get more surface area for the delicious cheese to melt. Once the pepper is cut in half, use a pairing knife to cut just below the stem and remove the core and ribs of the pepper. It helps to tap the pepper face down on a cutting board to remove any extra seeds. I like to keep the stem in tact for nice presentation and to keep the structure of the pepper.

Presentation tips: If you are serving up a platter of stuffed peppers, it really looks nice to have 2-3 different colored peppers. They still look great if you only have one color, but having red, green and yellow is a nice touch. Garnishing the stuffed peppers with fresh parsley or microgreens looks amazing as well.

Ingredient swaps that work great: You can always swap the rice in this recipe for any other grain. Quinoa, wild rice, barley and farrow are great alternatives. Alternatively, you can swap the walnuts in the chorizo recipe out for pecans. If you have a nut allergy, pumpkin seeds will work but I recommend processing them first before adding the other ingredients so that they grind fine enough.

The Cheese: Prairie Melt is the best plant-based cheese for this recipe. It is both mixed into the filling as well as melted onto of the pepper. Mixing the Prairie Melt into the filling really adds to the richness and texture. It keeps the filling moist and together.

Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead of time. The peppers will keep stuffed for at least a week raw in the fridge. Meal prep them on Sunday and simply pop them in the oven during the week for a quick, tasty dinner. Any leftovers also make a great boxed lunch the next day.

Let’s get making some stuffed peppers!

Cheesy Plant-Based Chorizo and Rice Stuffed Peppers

• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup long grain rice

• Plant based chorizo mix:
• 1 540ml can lentils
• 1 cup walnuts
• 3 tbsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. chili flakes
• pinch ground cloves
• pinch ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt

• 2 fresh tomatoes, diced small
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1 cup Prairie Melt

• 4 to 6 bell peppers, halved with core, ribs and seeds removed

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups Prairie Melt

1. Bring water and rice to a simmer in a small sauce pan without the lid. Once simmering, place the lid on the pan and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 12 minutes. Remove from stove and let rest for another 10 minutes.
2. Combine all plant-based chorizo mix ingredients in a food processor. Process to a fine texture, ensuring all spices are distributed evenly.
3. Combine rice, plant-based chorizo, fresh tomatoes, parsley and Prairie Melt in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
4. Pack the mixed filling into the halved peppers.
5. Crumble desired amount of Prairie Melt on each pepper.
6. Cook in 400F oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Serve and enjoy!