Zesty Stuffed Peppers for Vegetarians

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 poblano chile pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 (14 ounce) packages boil-in-bag rice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• ½ cup corn
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 4 large green bell peppers - tops, seeds, and membranes removed (tops reserved)
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large skillet, warm up some olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, poblano, jalapeño, and garlic, and cook everything together until the veggies are soft and fragrant, about 5 to 6 minutes. Then, toss in the rice and stir it around until it gets a little toasted, which should take about 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 2

Pour in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and corn. Let it come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed, around 7 to 10 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, stir in half of the Monterey Jack cheese and some fresh cilantro, then take it off the heat to cool down a bit.

Step 3

While the filling cools, place the tops back on the bell peppers and wrap each one loosely in aluminum foil. Pop them into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they start to soften. When they're done, take them out and turn your oven down to 350°F (175°C). Let the peppers cool completely, which should take about 20 minutes.

Step 4

Once cooled, stand the peppers upright in a baking dish. If they don’t stand well on their own, use some of the foil to create little nests to keep them steady. Fill each pepper with the rice mixture, then sprinkle the tops with panko breadcrumbs and the rest of the Monterey Jack cheese. Put the pepper tops back on and bake everything until the cheese melts and gets bubbly, about 25 to 30 minutes. Enjoy!