Slow Cooker Vegetarian Barbecue Stuffed Peppers

These Slow Cooker Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers may just be our new favorite way to make stuffed peppers. They are made in the crockpot and come out tender, hearty, and packed with flavor. Served with some Honey Garlic Carrots or Parmesan Green Beans and dinner is ready.

Stuffed peppers are one of our favorite meatless dishes, but lately, I am looking to mix up my traditional recipe using Italian flavors or Mexican flavors, like in these Stuffed Poblano Peppers). 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. And they turned out so so good!

I decided not to add cheese to the 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 cheese lovers around here.

Why You'll Love These Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Here are three reasons why you will want to add these to your weekly menu!

• Kid-friendly flavors: Swapping in barbecue sauce for the more traditional tomato sauce makes these stuffed peppers a favorite for barbecue sauce-loving kids. 
• Easy to prep: Instead of having to par-boil the peppers, these cook right in the slow cooker for easier prep.
• Freezer friendly: Bell peppers freeze really well making them perfect for freezer cooking. Make up a big batch and freeze them for a night when you don't feel like cooking.

Ingredients and Easy Swaps

Here is everything you need to make these barbecue stuffed peppers.

• Cooked rice: Use any type of cooked rice or grains for this recipe, including cooked white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or farro. You can use frozen cooked rice to save time.
• Diced tomatoes: Use any type of canned diced tomatoes you have on hand. Our favorites are fire roasted diced tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes for a little spice.
• Corn and black beans: Canned corn and black beans add fiber, texture, and a touch of sweetness. You can use any beans you like.
• Onions and garlic: Onion and garlic are important to build flavor and ensure the rice and beans taste great. We like using sweet onions, but any type will work.
• Spices: Build more flavor with kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, and cumin. It's also delicious with taco seasoning or barbecue seasoning.
• Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite barbecue sauce. It can be sweet, smoky, or spicy. We like to use the sugar free Kinder barbecue sauce to keeps things light.
• Bell peppers: Make sure to choose medium to large bell peppers with a flat bottom so they stand up in the baking dish. Green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers all work. Or use large poblano peppers for a touch of heat.
• Vegetable broth: The slow cooker needs some liquid to ensure the peppers steam through and get soft. Use vegetable broth or chicken broth.

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

Normally stuffed peppers can be a little tricky to make and it's 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 decide to make these vegetarian stuffed peppers in the oven instead, I recommend par-cooking or microwaving them first to ensure they are nice and tender.

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.

Ways to Serve Barbecue Stuffed Peppers

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 freshly chopped cilantro and dinner are 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. 

Tips and Recipe Variations

There are so many ways to customize this recipe, from adding protein to extra veggies.

• Add protein: To add extra protein, stir in some cooked ground beef, turkey, chicken, vegetarian crumbles, or soyrizo. You could also stir in some cubed baked tofu or tempeh.
• Extra veggies: 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.
• Change the beans and grains: You can easily mix up this recipe by using different beans or a different whole grain. Use quinoa and chickpeas or cooked farro and cannellini beans. 
• Add spice: If you like things spicy, switch out the fire roasted tomatoes for some diced tomatoes with green chilies, like Rotel tomatoes. You can also add some diced canned chipotle peppers to the rice and bean mixture for some heat.
• Add toppings: Melt some cheese on top, grab some diced avocado, and add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Sprinkle on some cilantro, pickled red onions, or pickled jalapenos.
• Lower sugar: Although the recipe calls for light barbecue sauce to keep the calories low, you can also use a regular barbecue sauce. There are many different flavor options, each adding a different flavor to the peppers.

Freezing Leftover Stuffed Peppers

The best way to freeze these peppers is to place them on parchment and let them freeze for about 2 hours. Once they begin to freeze on the outside, you can place them in a ziploc bag and they won't stick together.

Let them defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven or microwave until heated.