Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers (Pizza Stuffed Peppers)

These vegan Italian stuffed peppers are a hit for the whole family!  Tastes just like a pizza in the vessel of a pepper! Gluten free! 

When you have a family member that is picky, sometimes you are desperate to get healthy food into them at all costs.  These delicious vegan Italian stuffed peppers would be a great starting place if you are in that situation. 

There are very few people that don’t enjoy which is why this particular vegan stuffed pepper is the perfect option.  The filling tastes just like pizza! 

For this unique stuffed pepper idea, we are combining our very own homemade vegan Italian walnut meat with delicious marinara sauce, melty vegan mozzarella cheese and some homemade vegan parmesan cheese. The perfect pizza spices are added to make it so flavorful, you will want to use it on so much more than just these vegan stuffed peppers. 

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Watch how to make Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers: 

What ingredients do you need for Vegan Italian Stuffed Peppers?

There are a few different parts to this vegan Italian stuffed peppers recipes. But overall you don’t need a ton of ingredients. 

For our Italian walnut meat, you are going to need: 

• walnuts
• red onion
• garlic
• sun dried tomatoes
• avocado oil 
• Italian seasoning 
• fennel seeds
• vegan Worcestershire sauce

You will also need: 

• marinara 
• quinoa 
• vegan mozzarella
• vegan parmesan cheese 
• bell peppers, any colors will work 

How do you make Italian vegan stuffed peppers?

The first step in making these Italian vegan stuffed peppers is to get your quinoa cooked.  We add 1/4 cup quinoa with 1/2 cup vegetable broth and cook according to our bag directions (about 12-15 minutes). 

Then, we are going to start our vegetarian Italian meat. You want to soak your walnuts to soften them more.  We do this by placing in a bowl and covering with water for at least 30 minutes.  You can also do this overnight if you need to prep ahead. 

Once your walnuts have soaked, drain them and you are going to put them into a food processor and pulse until you have meat like crumbles. They should be small in size.  Be careful not to over process or you will end up with walnut butter. 

Then, chop your onions, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes.  You want everything to be very small because you are using a finely crumbled nut as your meat base. 

Add a small amount of oil to a skillet, and saute your onions until translucent (about 2-3 minutes). Add in the garlic for 1 more minute. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning and fennel seeds across and stir to combine.  Then, add in your sun-dried tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 1 more minute. 

Add in the crumbled walnut and stir very well.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes.  The color will go from a light brown to a robust, medium brown color hue. This will now be your meat base. 

Add in your marinara, cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup homemade Parmesan. Stir to combine. 

Cut the tops off of your peppers and stuff the mixture inside until full.  Sprinkle the remaining vegan mozzarella across the top with some more vegan Parmesan cheese. 

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce at the bottom of a baking dish and then place stuffed peppers on top. Cover with foil.

Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and serve, topped with fresh basil. 

Can I just use vegan meatless crumbles instead of making walnut meat?

Whether you are running short or time, or you are allergic to nuts, there may be a reason why you are looking for a solution to the Italian vegan walnut meat.   Now, let me first say that if you are not allergic, then absolutely attempt to make this meat mixture at some point, it’s delicious. 

However, you can absolutely use vegan meatless crumbles instead. You would use approximately 2 cups of meat mixture. 

WHERE DO I BUY SUN DRIED TOMATOES?

Sun-dried tomatoes can in either dry packs like dried pepper (ancho chilis for example) or packed in oil.  We personally prefer the jars packed in oil; however, we know many people avoid those because of the oil. 

If using the jar in oil, you can find the jars in the section where olives are or in the pasta aisle of most grocers, including places like Walmart and Target. You could also purchase sun dried tomatoes in oil on Amazon. 

For dry packs, you can find those in the produce aisle or ask your local grocer.  They are hit or miss in store.  Sometimes Walmart has in the produce aisle, Whole Foods usually has also.  Another option would be to call ahead before driving to your store to verify they have it or purchase sun-dried tomatoes no oil from Amazon. 

For the non-oil sun-dried tomatoes, you will have to place into water to soften before using. 

CAN I SUB SUN DRIED TOMATOES FOR SOMETHING ELSE?

We have tested this recipe subbing out the sun dried tomatoes for both tomato paste and Italian seasoned tomatoes.  While you can sub either of these for the sun dried tomatoes, the texture will be different.  It’s much more moist with either option and does not have a crumbly appearance like meat. The taste however is still great.

Can I make these Top 8 Allergy Friendly vegan stuffed peppers?

We can easily tell you how to make this Top 7 free, but the base of the dish is walnuts, making it hard to say it’s easily Top 8 Free.  

We are also considered with the vegan Worcestershire sauce (soy and wheat). 

You could also purchase a gluten free version of the worcestershire sauce. 

As far as the soy, I haven’t yet found a vegan version that you can buy that doesn’t contain soy; however, you could make your own homemade worcestershire sauce, like this one, and replace the soy sauce with a no soy soy free sauce. 

Lastly, you need to use a safe vegan cheese (or you can omit) or use nutritional yeast. For the vegan parmesan cheese, we do have a nut free version on our website. 

While it will taste different and the texture won’t be the same, you could also pulse chickpeas down and replace the walnuts to make it Top 8 Allergy Free. 

Can I prep these Italian vegetarian stuffed peppers ahead of time?

You can absolutely make these ahead of time!  There are a few options you have.  

If you plan to eat them in the week, then just make and cook as directed and store in an air tight container.  They will last in the fridge for up to 7 days.  Just heat back up in the microwave or oven. 

If you want to meal prep these well in advance, then you can cook as directed, let cool completely and then store in an air tight container. Put it in the freezer.  They will last well for up to 3 months this way.  When ready to cook, place in an oven safe dish and heat at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes or until thawed and warmed throughout. 

What other vegan dinners should I try?

You should definitely try our Vegan Chorizo Mexican Stuffed Peppers or our Tuscan Style Vegan Stuffed Peppers that are our favorite way to eat stuffed peppers. 

Other vegan dinner ideas are: 

• Chickpea, Cashew and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce Skillet
• Vegan Taco Casserole
• Vegan Pizza 
• The Best Vegan Lasagna 
• Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice
• Vegan Italian Meatballs
• The Best Vegan Black Bean Burger

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