Whether it’s your preferred easy weeknight meal or just what’s at your disposal in the kitchen, stuffed peppers are a classic comfort food. Part of the appeal of any stuffed pepper recipe is that it’s practically a “kitchen sink” dish in how versatile and highly customizable the meal can be. A filling of ground beef might be the traditional thought when making stuffed peppers hearty and flavorful, but you may want to ditch the meat for a plant-based alternative: a hefty bag of lentils. Since each lentil type has its benefits and best uses, we tapped Karishma Pradhan, a culinary researcher and recipe developer with Home Cooking Collective, to share her thoughts on which type of lentils would work best for stuffed peppers.
Per Pradhan’s advice, green lentils are preferable when making stuffed peppers. When cooking, her suggestion is to boil them like one would with pasta. The timeframe’s a matter of preference, but the goal is to ensure they’re tender with a slight bite before turning them into pepper filling. (Pradhan is spot on; this writer uses this same direction when making lentils at home.) Particularly when lentils are being employed as a meat alternative, maintaining their texture is key when mimicking crumbled, ground beef. Green lentils keep their shape especially well, and won’t become soft when cooked as easily as other types. However, be attentive when boiling your lentils, as there’s still a chance that any type can lose their texture.
How to make lentil stuffed peppers flavorful and rich-tasting
Although green lentils are a more robust and even peppery variety, lentils can be bland by nature. With that said, there are ways to boost their taste profile.
To enhance the dish, Pradhan has some suggestions, like incorporating a flavorful broth. If the at-home chef wishes to follow the expert, Pradhan prefers using Better Than Bouillon’s vegetable bases to add flavor to hers. Additionally, when this writer makes his lentil stuffed peppers at home, he simply seasons the water they’re boiled in when a base or broth isn’t available. And dashing in the likes of ground cumin, smoked paprika, and ground coriander (all of which Pradhan also suggests) will bring in those earthy, meaty notes. Sauces that are heavy in umami, like Worcestershire or soy sauce, will also help enhance the “meaty” profile of the stuffed peppers.
Of course, stuffed peppers are meant to be a hearty meal. So, it’s important to fill them with other tasty ingredients to bulk up each pepper. Following Pradhan’s direction, the at-home chef can add in chopped mushrooms such as porcini or shiitake to assist in this manner. Whether or not mushrooms are your thing, adding chopped eggplant, quinoa, black beans, and corn can be a good idea, as well as a hint of cayenne pepper and a touch of chipotle seasoning to up the ante of your recipe’s warm, spicy notes.
