These rice and mushroom stuffed peppers are loaded with cheese. They taste like risotto without all the time and effort spent at the stove.
I can be super indecisive sometimes. Most of the time I’m not, particularly in important or professional settings, but ask me what I feel like eating or “what’s your favorite food” (<—hardest question ever!) and I’ll probably waffle for a good 20 minutes or so.
I annoy myself.
So, 4 peppers sat in my fridge for about 10 days.
They needed to be used asap.
Stuffed peppers sounded like a good solution. Right? Yeah, kind of.
Except, there was this persistent little voice saying “risotto sounds really good right now” that wouldn’t go away too.
Ahhh, decisions!
Growing up there was only one kind of risotto in our house: sausage & mushroom.
It was cheesy, hearty and so damn good in the winter. I’ve since made two variations of it: Buckwheat Risotto with Mushrooms and Leeks and Butternut squash and porcini mushroom risotto.
I know you can make risotto with practically anything and I’ve eaten many variations but, when I think of the dish, I immediately conjure up the one my mom makes. Considering there’s still snow left on the ground over here, that risotto was sounding pretty darn good.
Back to that decision.
I kid you not when I say I stood in front of the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, door open, (so wasteful, I know) staring at peppers on one side of the produce drawer, mushrooms on the other and trying to decide which meal to make.
And then it hit me.
Peppers stuffed with risotto!
Duh.
I bought chicken this week for the first time in months (well, actually I bought it last week but had to throw it out after losing power for 2 days) and these were the perfect side dish to the cashew crusted baked chicken breasts I made for dinner.
Or I guess I could’ve used the chicken to make chicken stuffed poblano peppers. Oh well, next time.
Since I knew we’d be eating these as a side, I left the sausage from mom’s risotto out, but they would be delicious as a main dish with it in the stuffing as well.
I’ll be honest, the stuffing isn’t a “true” risotto based on the preparation but, it’s got the same taste and flavor components which definitely satisfied my craving.
Also, it’s easier than a true risotto, always a good thing.
Besides their taste, I’m kind of obsessed by how similar they look to mini pumpkins.
Perfectly festive for this time of year.
Indecisiveness never tasted so good.
More recipes like these cheesy mushroom stuffed peppers:
Bison Stuffed Peppers
Spinach Sausage and Ricotta Stuffed Peppers
Tuscan White Bean Farro Risotto
Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Eggplant
Asian Steak Stuffed Grilled Avocados
Cheesy Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium orange peppers
- 1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice
- 8 oz. sliced baby portobello mushrooms
- 1 shallot sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon rosemary divided
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry wine
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut tops of peppers off and clean out the insides.
- Sauté butter, olive oil, shallots, garlic and half the rosemary (1/2 tablespoon) in a medium pan for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms and a dash of salt & pepper, toss to combine and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add sherry wine and let wine and water from mushrooms cook off completely, about 5-7 more minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Combine mushrooms, cheese and cooked rice with remaining rosemary in a medium bowl and season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Stuff peppers with the mixture and place in a square baking dish with about 1/2 an inch of water on the bottom.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Consuelo Montoya
Wednesday 1st of April 2020
Outstanding recipe. I found myself in a similar predicament with six multi-colored bell peppers on the verge of going bad and ended up with only five, one was too far gone to save. This recipe gave me the basics that I needed and I found I also incorporated other aging produce. Interestingly, the sherry really made a difference in the taste, so I recommend cooks do not forget this ingredient. I made mine with cooked wild rice and added pineapple (had to use it up).
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Amanda
Tuesday 8th of November 2011
I love your recipe and your pictures are great too! I have a recipe for mushroom risotto that I think you'll really like. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/mushroomrisotto
Thanks!
bakerbynature
Friday 4th of November 2011
Gina - these are adorable! And I love the idea of stuffing them with risotto. Super yummy recipe inspiration :) And you photos look lovely.
xx