Lentils don’t often appear in stuffed pepper recipes but after trying this version, you will agree they should. They provide a plant-based protein and meaty texture, setting this stuffed pepper apart from the rest.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil, then place the pepper halves in the pan, cut side up.

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add the lentils and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, or until tender. Drain the excess water and set lentils aside. To prepare the rice, bring 1 3/4 cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the rice, reduce to a simmer, and cook over low heat until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy, about 15 minutes (for brown rice, cook for 35 to 40 minutes or according to package directions). Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes. Add the oregano and tomato paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

Add the cooked lentils and rice to the sauté pan, then stir in 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and the marinara sauce. Season with salt and black pepper and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.

Divide the lentil and rice mixture among the pepper halves, then pour around the peppers the remaining 1/2 cup broth into the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven, uncover, then sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the peppers. Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

At the end of the baking time, you may be surprised to find a lot of liquid in the dish. Don’t worry, the liquid is released by the peppers as they cook down!

If you have wild rice, black rice, or another variety in your pantry, you can use it in place of the white or brown rice.

Allow stuffed peppers to cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To rewarm, microwave for 60 seconds each, place in a preheated 250-degree-F oven for 7 to 8 minutes, or in an air fryer at 350-degree-F for 3 minutes.

Cover the pan of uncooked stuffed peppers with plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Or cover the plastic-wrapped baking dish with foil and label with tape using a marker. Freeze for up to 4 months. Bake as directed, adding 5 minutes to the total bake time to bake from frozen, or defrost in the fridge overnight.

Recipe reprinted with permission from “Meal Prep Magic: Time-Saving Tricks for Stress-Free Cooking, A Weelicious Cookbook” by Catherine McCord. Published by Harry N. Abrams.