Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Peppers (Printer-friendly)

Bell peppers filled with chickpeas, veggies, and lemon tahini sauce for a vibrant Mediterranean dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Stuffed Peppers

01 - 4 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange), tops removed and seeds removed
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 small red onion, diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 small zucchini, diced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
07 - 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
08 - 0.5 cup cooked quinoa or rice
09 - 0.25 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
10 - 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
11 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
13 - 0.25 teaspoon smoked paprika
14 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
15 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste
16 - 0.25 cup fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
18 - Juice of 0.5 lemon

→ Lemon Tahini Sauce

19 - 0.25 cup tahini
20 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
21 - 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
22 - 1 small garlic clove, grated
23 - 0.25 teaspoon salt

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking dish sized to accommodate all peppers standing upright.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced red onion and sauté for 3 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Stir in diced zucchini and cook for 4 minutes until just tender. Add quartered cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 additional minutes.
04 - Add chickpeas, cooked quinoa or rice, chopped olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
05 - Stir in fresh parsley, mint if using, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Fill each prepared bell pepper with the chickpea filling, packing gently. Position peppers upright in the prepared baking dish.
07 - Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until peppers are tender but retain their shape.
08 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, water, grated garlic, and salt until smooth. Add additional water as needed to achieve a drizzling consistency.
09 - Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates and drizzle generously with lemon tahini sauce.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks absolutely stunning on the plate—those jewel-toned peppers make you feel like you're feeding people something special.
  • The filling is hearty enough to satisfy even skeptical eaters, with layers of flavor that sneak up on you.
  • Everything comes together in under an hour, perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that feels fancier than it actually is.
02 -
  • Don't overstuff the peppers or the filling will spill out during cooking and you'll lose half your work; pack it gently but firmly, leaving a little room at the top.
  • The tahini sauce needs to be made fresh and used right away; it thickens as it sits, so if you're prepping ahead, make it just before serving and have water nearby to thin it out.
03 -
  • If your tahini is too thick straight from the jar, warm it gently in a small pan or hold the jar under hot water for a minute to loosen it up before whisking.
  • Toast some pine nuts in a dry skillet while the peppers bake and scatter them over the top just before serving—the contrast between the creamy filling and crunchy nuts is genuinely transformative.
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