Cinco de Mayo: Tex-Mex Style Vegetarian, Grain-Free Stuffed Peppers (feat. Black Beans)

Contains:  Legumes, nightshades, dairy.  Is:  Vegetarian, gluten-free, grain-free.  

A boat-shaped half a stuffed pepper, and a hearty whole one.

Yes, my stuffing of choice is based around legumes, specifically black beans.  Which are my favorite “hard” legume of all.

For a bean challenge at CookingBites, I have decided to make this dish.  While I have so many bean dishes here at this site, only one had proved to be MOSTLY bean, which was a requirement of this particular challenge.  (Vegetarian Ethiopian Black-Eyed Pea Stew).

Added tp oven. In this situation, I removed the boats when they were ready, and let the whole one go longer. Both styles made simply for demonstration.

I’ve never been fond of rice in my stuffed peppers – which if you’ve noticed the plethora of previous stuffed pepper recipes here, that ingredient has yet to turn up in one – so again it will be missing.  Sorry (not).  I do have a couple ideas for future recipes which will indeed contain specific other grains, but first I am making this one.

Two boats made from one pepper.

Beans do lend themselves to providing a good protein base for a vegetarian or vegan dish, and so I’m inventing the one I’m making here.  I’m also adding cheese (so note that this one won’t be vegan – I have never eaten vegan “cheese”, (and have no desire to experiment with most of those out there, due to the long ingredient lists on packaging).  Cheese will add some moisture and texture.  One can certainly leave the cheese out.

I debated on whether to use an Indian or a Mexican spice profile.  If I try lentils in some shape or form in the future instead of black beans, I think I’ll go Indian.  Black beans surely say “Mexican” or “Tex-Mex” as the profile flavor.  Onions and garlic also seem to be called for (in either case).  Since I went Tex-Mex, I timed this recipe to be posted just prior to Cinco de Mayo.

Cooked February 2020.

This boat was sufficient for my brunch. Other than coffee, I had no sides.

Prep Time:  20 minutes.
Cook Time:  15-20 for stuffing, 35-45 for baking the stuffed pepper.
Rest Time:  Not necessary.
Serves:  2-4.
Cuisine:  Tex-Mex.
Leftovers:  Yes.  Refrigerate and either nuke or bake until warm inside.

Tex-Mex Style Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers, Grain-Free, With Black Beans

 

• 1 can  ( 15.5 oz / 440 g) black beans.
• 1 small onion (yellow, red or white) diced.
• 1 pear (anjou or bosc), de-pitted and diced. 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle (to preference)
• 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (aka, to preference).
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 ounces + 1 ounce meltable cheese, chopped or shredded.  (I used cheddar.  Monterey  Jack would also be appropriate, or a specifically-Mexican queso.)
• 2 bell peppers.

Combine all the ingredients except the cheese and the bell peppers into a saucepan.  Raise the heat to about medium, a simmer.

Stir frequently.  Allow the excess liquid from the can of beans to evaporate, and the onion and pear to soften.  The beans should be wet but not watery.  This is 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and set aside for 10 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 F.

Meanwhile, slice or grate the cheese, and prep the bell peppers, by opening and de-seeding.  I made one as a whole bell, and the other as two separate boats – choose as you choose!

Mix about 3 ounces of cheese into the slightly-cooled bean stuffing.  Having this cool will help keep the cheese in separate pieces rather than blend totally in.  Set the peppers out on an appropriate baking pan, making sure they don’t topple over.  (For a whole upright pepper, one can always add some foil around its base to keep it balanced.)

Stuff the peppers thoroughly.  Then add some cheese atop each boat or whole pepper.  Bake the boats for 35 minutes.  Bake whole bell peppers for 45 minutes.

I’m saying this serves 2 to 4 people depending on how these are served, and with what you serve them.

Sharing With:  

•  Full Plate Thursday.  
• Fiesta Friday.  Co-Hosted by: Antonia @ Zoale.com and Zeba @ Food For The Soul. 
• What’s for Dinner: Sunday LinkUp.