These Vegan Enchilada Stuffed Peppers with Avocado Cream are packed with protein and fiber for a delicious and healthy meatless meal the whole family will love!
Never have I ever stuffed a pepper.
It’s a darn shame, because they’re so stuffable. Like, they’re hollow. It’s kind of bizarre. What a waste of precious pepper space.
HELLLOOOO. IS ANYBODY INNNN THERRREEEE.
Oh hi, seedy pith. Let’s throw you in the garbaahhhge and replace you with creamy dremy enchilada filling. Because how much better does that sound than…air?
I tried really hard with every inch of my brainsicle to think of a corny yet funny one-liner for the beginning of this post. Want to know why? Because when I made this recipe I actually forgot the corn. Is the irony killing you?
Thus the pepper is not corny. And neither is the joke I couldn’t think of.
This recipe was birthed when my roomie stuffed the filling of my beloved lentil & kale enchiladas into peppers rather than tortillas. A genius, that woman is!
So naturally I was going to tweak the greens and beans in that recipe, stuff it in a pepper, and call it a recipe, but my creative juices got the best of me. I didn’t want the filling to be mush (AKA enchilada filling), so I blended the raw cashews with the enchilada sauce and some peppers rather than blending all the ingredients together. Now we have a decadent creamy sauce (that’s secretly healthy) plus some much-needed texture from the beans, veggies, and quinoa.
Since I’m playing the clean out your freezer/pantry/fridge game for the big move, I threw a handful of veggies in these including frozen spinach, corn (at least I meant to), and sweet potatoes. Feel free to toss in a handful of fresh spinach or cilantro, too.
The more veggies, the merrier! [Insert corny joke here.]
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Dairy-free stuffed peppers loaded with veggies and creamy cashew enchilada sauce.
Ingredients
For the stuffed peppers:
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 8oz red enchilada sauce (I love Frontera)
- 4 large bell peppers
- 2 cups frozen spinach, thawed + water squeezed out
- 1 heaping cup cooked quinoa (I used frozen)
- 1–15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup grated sweet potato (about 1/2 medium sweet potato)
- 1/2 cup chunky salsa (I love Frog Ranch medium salsa)
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
For the avocado cream:
- 1 avocado
- juice 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Spray an 8x8in baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside.
- Trim the tops off each pepper (try to cut near the top) and gently remove the white membranes inside the peppers. Save tops. Place peppers cut side up in baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, gather the tops of the peppers and chop leftover pepper (excluding stem) into small pieces. Set aside 1/2 cup and discard the rest.
- Drain cashews. Place in blender/food processor (I used my Nutribullet) with enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup chopped peppers. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, combine spinach, quinoa, black beans, grated sweet potato, salsa, corn, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne, stirring to combine. Stir in cashew enchilada sauce.
- Divide mixture evenly into bell peppers. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the avocado cream ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Drizzle over peppers prior to serving.
[Tweet “#MeatlessMonday meal of dreams! #Vegan Enchilada Stuffed Peppers via @TheHummusapien”]
Erin @ The Almond Eater says
You’re right–peppers are SO stuff-able. These look deeeeelicious lady!
Jenni Schaffer says
Mmmmm. Looks fantastic! I love stuffed peppers!!!
Kelly @ Eat the Gains says
Stuffing food inside food is obviously a brilliant idea! Love the addition of some added veggies for a good nutrient dense meal.
Reduceri online says
It looks very tasty!
★★★★★
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
This sounds soooo good!!!! Mexican food is a staple at our house so this would be a fun way to mix up our regular tacos!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
Ugh… another amazing recipe that I cannot eat right now! :( boo
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
it looks wonderful..i love the avocado cream.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
The avocado cream just does it ;)
Emily @ Sinful Nutrition says
I think I’d eat a crap ton more peppers if they were stuffed with enchilada filling than air. YUM.
Katherine says
I made these last night with a few modifications (and luckily remembered the corn at the last minute). Delicious! Thank you :)
★★★★★
Monique @ burpees to bubbly says
I love making and eating stuffed peppers because they hit upon so many food groups so you don’t have to make extra things! I’ve never make them all fancy with the sauce at the top though- so pretty!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
I absolutely must try this!
Stacey says
If I do not have cashews, are they absolutely necessary, or can I go ahead & make this without them?
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Tami says
Best Pinterest vegan recipe I have made thus far!! This may be a weekly meal for me!! Thank you for sharing
Monica says
Delicious! I had to use white basmati rice and pinto beans because that’s what I had on hand. Everyone like it, especially the baby! Will definitely be making again.
★★★★★
Cassie says
Always looking for healthy and filling dishes to make for my friends and family (I’m a health nut and they are trying to step up their game too) and this was a hit! They were shocked that a stuffed pepper was so hearty and could be deliciously vegan! I did add lean ground turkey in the stuffing mixture one time to please some stubborn family members and it still worked so well (removed the quinoa when I added the meat and browned meat prior to stuffing the pepps). Thank you for supplying the world with nutritious, REAL food recipes. Loving your site.
★★★★★
Alexis says
OMG I basically forgot about this recipe! Thanks so much for bringing it back to life :) Love that you made it your own.