Let's make Stuffed peppers with leftover rice and Tofu for a delicious Gluten Free, Vegan Dish. Great for parties or gatherings as a vegetarian main.
Leftover food and its make-overs
Leftover food is a nightmare in most homes, as we don't want to eat the extras and too expensive to throw them away too. Like for Eg, leftover semiya Upma / millet vermicelli upma gets made into these nobody-can-ever-guess Cutlets, as is leftover bread made into these yummy, quick and delish Bread Upma, or if one is bored the leftover Idli batter into these goory and delicious Ragi Chocolate Pancakes, or leftover chapatis to these Baked Roti NAchos that the kids love a lot. The little one, more into Asian cooking loves these Korean Yachaejoen that I use my leftover stirfry veggies to mix into an instant , lipsmacking savoury pancake.
Simiarly, these tofu and Rice stuffed peppers in a tangy tomato sauce is very welcomed at home, even by (ahem ahem) folks who don't like peppers / capsicum that much 🙂
I had made a version of Paneer Bharwa Shimla Mirch earlier and a cheese topped baked stuffed pepper earlier, but wanted a vegan dish as a change.
What else can be used to stuff these peppers?
This is a vegan recipe where I have used tofu and left over rice sautéed with veggies to stuff the peppers, but the stuffing is totally upto your choice - grated paneer, veggies , cheese , leftover rice (which I also used) or even shredded meat. Again the sauce is optional but as I was serving it with roti, we need a sauce base. This is further baked for a few mins to give it a nice compact finish to the dish. Make sure to use firm, fresh peppers with a base. Let’s see how to make this.
PIN FOR LATER
Other Leftover Make-overs you like on the blog are:
Prep time - 20 Mins, Cook time - 25 Mins, serves -4
What you need for Tofu and Rice Stuffed Peppers
- 6 Bell peppers (medium sized, I used green coloured but you could use multiple coloured peppers)
- 3 tablespoon Oil (divided use)
- ½ teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
Stuffing :
- 6 tablespoon Cooked and cooled rice
- 3 tablespoon Tofu (scrambled)
- 1 medium Onion (minced fine)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- ¼ cup Boiled veggies (opt.)
- ½ Tabasco sauce (opt.but recommended)
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon cashews (omit for any nut allergy)
For the tomato base:
- 4 Tomatoes (Blanched & chopped)
- ½ teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
- 1 Onions (medium)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon jeera powder
How to make Tofu and Rice Stuffed Peppers:
- Trim the tops of the peppers and preserve the crowns wit the stalk. De-seed the peppers , smear a thin oil film and sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt on the inside.
- Place these peppers in a medium hot non stick pan, sprinkle a few teaspoon of water . Cover and let the peppers soften a bit on low heat (cover for just 3 mins and switch off).
- We need the peppers to soften a bit but not lose the colour or crunch.
Stuffing:
- In another pan, add 1 tablespoon oil. Saute the onions, ginger garlic paste. Add the sauce, Boiled veggies , rice and tofu. Quickly toss them without it sticking to the base of the pan.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste. add crushed cashews and mix well. Cool to room temperature for further use.
Tomato Gravy:
- In a pan, add the rest of the oil. Saute the onions till translucent. Puree the blanched tomatoes into a fine puree. Add the puree to the onions.
- Add the spice powders, salt and let it simmer till oil separates (about 5-6 mins). Add crushed kasuri methi and mix once again.
To serve:
- Pre heat oven to 170 C (alternately you can heat a flat non- stick pan with a little oil)
- Place 1 TBSP+ filling in the steamed peppers, cover with the preserved crowns. Grease a flat baking tray with a light film of oil. Add the tomato gravy, place the stuffed peppers with the crowns and bake for 7-8 mins till the gravy slightly dries up. (You may also place the peppers in a pan, cook covered for 4-5 mins)
- Serve hot / warm with any flatbread / pilaf
Baked Tofu and Rice Stuffed Peppers in Tomato Sauce | Vegan, GF
Equipment
- Oven
- Thick Bottomed Pan
- Spatula
- Pots and Pans
Ingredients
- 6 Bell peppers medium sized, I used green coloured but you could use multiple coloured peppers
- 3 tablespoon Oil divided use
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
Stuffing :
- 6 tablespoon Cooked and cooled rice
- 3 tablespoon Tofu scrambled
- 1 medium Onion minced fine
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup Boiled veggies opt.
- ½ Tabasco sauce opt.but recommended
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon cashews omit for any nut allergy
For the tomato base:
- 4 Tomatoes Blanched & chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- 1 Onions medium
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon jeera powder
Instructions
- Trim the tops of the peppers and preserve the crowns wit the stalk. De-seed the peppers , smear a thin oil film and sprinkle a tiny pinch of salt on the inside. Place these peppers in a medium hot non stick pan, sprinkle a few teaspoon of water . Cover and let the peppers soften a bit on low heat (cover for just 3 mins and switch off). We need the peppers to soften a bit but not lose the colour or crunch.
Stuffing:
- In another pan, add 1 tablespoon oil. Saute the onions, ginger garlic paste. Add the sauce, Boiled veggies , rice and tofu. Quickly toss them without it sticking to the base of the pan. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. add crushed cashews and mix well. Cool to room temperature for further use.
Tomato Gravy:
- In a pan, add the rest of the oil. Saute the onions till translucent. Puree the blanched tomatoes into a fine puree. Add the puree to the onions. Add the spice powders, salt and let it simmer till oil separates (about 5-6 mins). Add crushed kasuri methi and mix once again.
To serve:
- Pre heat oven to 170 C (alternately you can heat a flat non- stick pan with a little oil)
- Place 1 TBSP+ filling in the steamed peppers, cover with the preserved crowns. Grease a flat baking tray with a light film of oil. Add the tomato gravy, place the stuffed peppers with the crowns and bake for 7-8 mins till the gravy slightly dries up. (You may also place the peppers in a pan, cook covered for 4-5 mins)
- Serve hot / warm with any flatbread / pilaf
MySpicyKitchen says
I make stuffed peppers with ground chicken and make it dry. Adding it to a gravy is a nice idea and as you said, goes well with roti also.
rajani says
I saw this in IG just now :-). It’s been a while since I made stuffed peppers, serving it on top of a sauce makes it even more delicious
Sowmya :) says
I have made stuffed peppers but not with a gravy. This is such a lovely idea. It looks so tempting. Got to try it asap!
Varada's Kitchen says
Stuffed peppers in gravy are my favorite. I like to give it a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top of the filling and the pepper. Tofu filling is interesting.
Harini R says
Wow! A lovely idea to use tofu as a stuffing. Good one, Kalyani.
Gayathri Kumar says
I remember making a similar one but with only rice as stuffing. This one with the tofu and the sauce base looks fantastic Kalyani.
Srivalli says
This is surely one of the ideas that made me select stuffed dishes Kalyani, so glad to see it here.
Pavani says
Filling and delicious looking stuffed peppers. Love the addition of tofu into the stuffing - protein rich and makes it a complete meal.
Pavani says
Love these filling and delicious looking stuffed peppers. Adding tofu to the stuffing makes the dish protein packed and a complete meal.
Narmadha says
Any stuffing with bell peppers works good and they look so delicious and tempting
Suma Gandlur says
The idea of peppers stuffed with tofu-veggie based stuffing and in a tomato gravy sounds cool.
Mayuri Patel says
I'm the only who likes stuffed peppers. Like this baked tofu stuffed peppers as it needs only a little bit of leftover rice and that you have made a tomato sauce to go with it. When hubby decides to make instant noodles for himself, I will be making stuffed peppers.
Kalyani says
Thank you, Mayuri. Do try this, am sure you would love it
Jayashree T Rao says
I make stuffed peppers, but it is a different version. Loved the use of some leftover rice and tofu here, will give it a try.
Kalyani says
Thanks Jayashree. Do try this when possible, you would definitely love it
Neha (My Culinary Expressions) says
Baked Tofu stuffed Pepper looks a healthy and nutrient packed recipe. Baking bell peppers is a good alternative to stir frying. Will try it out.
Kalyani says
Yes, baking is a better alternative compared to frying, do try out Neha
Priya Vj says
I loved stuffed peppers ..normally I stuff Aloo masala or channa masala,but stuffing a tofu filling is a different choice.
Kalyani says
Try this next time (or even use paneer), am sure you would like the new taste, priya
Seema says
How do you read my mind? I just happen to have all these ingredients on my weekly grocery and i cant wait to taste it. It will be perfect for the mealprep this week and I can already tell you it will be on repeat next week too!
Kalyani says
awww.that surely sounds like a plan,Seema. Can't wait to see how you & the family likes this
Radha says
Using leftover rice and tofu scramble sounds great! Making stuffed peppers for a helathy meal sounds a winner here!
Kalyani says
Thanks Radha!