Lemon Garlic Orzo Stuffed Peppers with Basil Pesto

These vegan lemon garlic orzo stuffed peppers with basil pesto are perfect for summer nights when you’re craving something healthy(ish) and light. Roasted peppers, stuffed with the lemon garlic orzo and basil pesto. Serve with baby plum tomatoes, sliced onions, and a drizzle of chilli oil or red pepper flakes. The best part? You can serve them cold during hot summer nights and warm on chillier nights. If you love easy recipes, you’re going to need to make these vegan stuffed peppers!

These lemon garlic orzo stuffed peppers are…

• perfect to enjoy for dinner or even as a side dish, throughout pepper season.
• a great recipe to bring along to BBQs and picnics!
• enjoyed warm or cold.
• healthyish.

Ingredients for vegan orzo stuffed peppers

• Orzo: It’s a type of pasta, that looks similar to rice.
• Peppers: You’ll need 4 bell peppers (aka sweet peppers). For this recipe, I prefer to use green peppers and red peppers. You could use yellow peppers or even orange if you prefer!
• Lemon: The zest and the juice!
• Garlic: A few cloves, grated.
• Spices: Salt + black pepper
• Vegan cheese: Pre-grated or a block of vegan cheese. If desired, you could also garnish with a little vegan mozzarella cheese, vegan parmesan cheese or vegan feta cheese too!
• Vegan pesto: Grab your favourite jar of vegan basil pesto. Or if you wish, you could use homemade vegan pesto.
• Herbs: Dried basil and dried oregano to season the peppers before roasting, and to cook with the orzo pasta. It’s optional, but I like to garnish the dish with some fresh basil and oregano.
• Beans: A tin of butter beans or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.
• Oil: Good quality olive oil or extra virgin olive oil.

All about the roasted herby peppers

This recipe is a great way to use up all the bell peppers in your fridge. I love how the tops of peppers look, so instead of slicing the stem end off of the peppers, I like to slice the peppers in half, starting from the stem. If slicing the stems in half as I did, use a serrated knife! If you prefer, you can slice tops off the peppers! Pop them onto a baking tray or onto a large skillet.

Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle over the dried basil, dried oregano, salt and black pepper. With your hands, gently massage until the pepper halves are covered in the spices. Bake for 30 minutes, flip, and bake for another 15. Remove peppers from the oven and set them aside.

Making the vegan Lemon Garlic Orzo

Most orzo stuffed pepper recipes, call for the orzo to be boiled and drained. To make things super simple, this lemon-garlic orzo pasta is all cooked in one pot.

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Heat oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add in the garlic, dried oregano and dried basil. Cook for a few seconds. Add in the dry orzo, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stirring often to prevent the orzo from burning. Add in the water and salt. Turn the heat up to high, and once the orzo starts to boil, cook for 7 minutes or until all the water has been cooked off.

At this point, the orzo should be al dente. Turn the heat to low, and add in the vegan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and beans. Mix until combined. Remove from heat. If the peppers are still baking, cover the pot with the cooked orzo with a lid.

The finishing touches

Because the peppers are roasted, they will be soft and very delicate. Gently, stuff bell peppers with the lemon garlic orzo. You really want to pack in as much orzo mixture as possible. To serve, I like to layer these vegan stuffed peppers in a deep serving plate or casserole dish, adding halved baby tomatoes and sliced onions. Garnish with fresh basil and oregano. And with some chilli flakes or chilli oil.

Serve on the same day warm, or even cold.

Want an effortless quick dinner? Pop the peppers in an airtight container, refrigerate overnight and serve them the next day for lunch or even dinner. Top with the fresh basil and fresh oregano just before serving.

After you try this vegan stuffed peppers recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I try my best to respond to you all. Oh, and don’t forget to tag me over on Instagram – I can’t wait to see your images!!

More vegan recipes you’ll love

• Creamy Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto Soup
• Grandma’s Aloo Paratha + Tomato Chutney
• One-pan Pesto Pasta with Asparagus
• Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup With Crispy Potatoes
• Tofu Firecracker Lettuce Wraps With Brown Rice

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