Slow Cooker Vegetarian Barbecue Stuffed Peppers

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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Barbecue Stuffed Peppers may just be our new favorite way to make stuffed peppers.Made in the slow cooker, these peppers are tender, hearty, and packed with flavor.

Stuffed peppers are one of our favorite meatless dishes but lately I looking to mix up my traditional recipe using Italian flavors and spaghetti sauce. Since my family loves barbecue sauce, I thought it would be yummy to swap out the tomato sauce for barbecue sauce and add some corn, black beans, and cilantro to the mix. I decided not to add cheese to actual recipe itself so it could be vegan friendly, but as you can see in the picture I like to melt some on top. We are defintiely cheese lovers around here.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers with corn, black beans, and rice on a cutting board.

Normally stuffed peppers can be a little tricky to make and its common to hear people complain that the peppers stay too crunchy. Cooking them in the slow cooker solves this problem. The peppers have plenty of time to cook and get nice and tender. No worrying about undercooked peppers. If you decided to make these vegetarian stuffed peppers in the oven instead, I recommend par-cooking or microwaving the peppers first to ensure they are nice and tender. There are some tips on doing this below.

Lastly, let’s talk about my favorite ways to serve and store these. Usually I cover them in some shredded cheddar or pepper jack and drizzle some extra barbecue sauce on top just before serving. Plus some fresh chopped cilantro and dinner is ready. If you want to add some veggies to the dish, you could serve it on a bed of spaghetti squash or add some veggies right into the mixture. Since stuffed peppers freeze well, I usually try to make extras and then freeze them for easy meals.

Vegetarian stuffed bell peppers filled with rice, beans, corn, and barbecue sauce.

Tips for Making Slow Cooker Barbecue Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

To add extra protein, you can stir in some cooked ground beef, turkey, chicken, or vegetarian crumbles.
If you are going to cook these in the oven, make sure to par-cook the peppers beforehand. First remove the tops of the peppers and the seeds. Then either boil them for 4-5 minutes or microwave them in a moist paper towel for 4-5 minutes until they are partly cooked.
It’s easy to sneak some extra veggies into these peppers. I love to add chopped cauliflower or zucchini since it pairs really well with the flavors and no one ever complains that there are extra veggies.
The best way to freeze these peppers is to place them on parchment and let them freeze for about 2 hours. Then once they beginning to freeze, you can place them in a ziploc bag and they won’t stick together.

Looking for more healthy stuffed pepper recipes?

Here are some products I used to create this recipe:

Slow Cooker: There are so many different slow cookers on the market but I personally use this one that allows me to brown, sear, or saute in the same pan. Plus I find the cooking temperature to be really even and consistent.

Slow cooker vegetarian stuffed peppers with cilantro and cheese on a dark background.