Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Stuffed Peppers (Printable)

Bell peppers filled with a hearty chickpea and vegetable blend, topped with lemon tahini sauce for vibrant flavors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Stuffed Peppers

01 - 4 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), tops removed and seeds discarded
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 small red onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small zucchini, diced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
07 - 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
08 - 0.5 cup cooked quinoa or rice
09 - 0.25 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
10 - 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 0.25 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
15 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 - 0.25 cup fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
18 - Juice of 0.5 lemon

→ Lemon Tahini Sauce

19 - 0.25 cup tahini
20 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
21 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
22 - 1 small garlic clove, grated
23 - 0.25 teaspoon salt

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking dish sized to accommodate all peppers in upright position.
02 - Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté 3 minutes until softened. Introduce minced garlic and cook 1 minute additional.
03 - Stir in diced zucchini and cook 4 minutes until tender-crisp. Add quartered cherry tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more.
04 - Add drained chickpeas, cooked quinoa, chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
05 - Stir in fresh parsley, mint, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Divide filling evenly among prepared bell peppers, gently packing mixture. Position peppers upright in greased baking dish.
07 - Cover baking dish with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 10 minutes until peppers are tender while maintaining structural integrity.
08 - While peppers braise, whisk tahini, lemon juice, water, grated garlic, and salt in small bowl until smooth. Add additional water incrementally to achieve drizzling consistency.
09 - Arrange warm stuffed peppers on serving plates. Drizzle generously with lemon tahini sauce.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • One pan dinner that actually feels impressive and tastes better than restaurant versions.
  • The lemon tahini sauce is so creamy you won't miss anything, and it takes literally three minutes to whisk together.
  • Naturally gluten-free without any awkward substitutions or strange flavors.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, making meal prep almost too easy.
02 -
  • If your peppers are leaning in the baking dish, slice a thin piece off the bottom so they sit flat and cook evenly on all sides.
  • The tahini sauce will thicken as it cools, so make it thinner than you think it needs to be while the peppers are still hot.
  • Don't overstuff the peppers thinking it'll cook down more, because the filling is already cooked and you just need it to hold its shape.
  • Taste the filling before stuffing because once it's in the pepper, you can't adjust it anymore.
03 -
  • Buy the largest bell peppers you can find because smaller ones cook unevenly and the filling spills out during baking.
  • Prep the filling the day before and refrigerate it, then stuff and bake when you're ready, cutting your active cooking time in half on dinner day.
  • The tahini sauce can be made while the peppers bake, or even earlier, and it tastes the same either way.
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