Stuffed vegetables are trending in my household lately. I made a batch of stuffed tomatoes and bell peppers – some with tuna, others with rice and herbs, and one with an egg baked in the middle. No two were the same, so I love the diversity of making stuffed vegetables. They are easy to make and can be baked in one pan, leaving less items to clean.
For vegetables to stuff, try bell pepper (capsicum), zucchini, eggplant (aubergine), mushroom, potato, and tomato. Anything available can be used for the stuffing: rice, quinoa, couscous, lentils, tuna, mined beef, egg, cheese, vegetables, and so on.
Here’s three basic recipes for stuffed vegetables to build on or substitute other ingredients.
Stuffed Tomatoes with Tuna and Herbs
Ingredients
Large ripe tomatoes (one or two per person)
Can of tuna in olive oil (drained)
Small shallot or half an onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp capers (optional)
2 tbsp breadcrumbs or cooked rice
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Grated cheese (Parmesan, Gruyère, or mozzarella – optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) – or use the microwave.
Slice the tops off the tomatoes and gently scoop out the pulp (save it for soups or sauce).
In a bowl, mix the tuna, onion, capers, breadcrumbs or rice, herbs, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Spoon the mixture into the tomato shells. Top with grated cheese (optional).
Place in a baking dish, drizzle lightly with oil, and bake for about 25–30 minutes (or about 5 minutes in the microwave) until golden.
Remove from oven or microwave and serve hot.
Variation: Crack a raw egg into a hollowed tomato or pepper, sprinkle with salt and herbs, and bake until cooked.
Stuffed Mediterranean Style Bell Peppers with Couscous
(adapted from Longevity Energy (2025) by Luca Casonato, available here.)
Ingredients
Bell peppers (red, yellow, or green)
Couscous (cooked, half a cup per person/per bell pepper)
Zucchini (diced, half a small one per bell pepper)
Cherry tomatoes (cut in half, 3 or 4 per bell pepper)
Feta cheese (2 tablespoons, crumpled, per bell pepper)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) – or use the microwave.
Cook the couscous according to package instructions, remove from heat, and mix in the uncooked diced zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
Slice the tops off the bell peppers and gently scoop out the pulp.
Spoon the couscous mixture into the bell peppers.
Place in a baking dish, drizzle lightly with oil, and bake for about 25–30 minutes (or about 5 minutes in the microwave) until golden.
Remove from the oven or microwave and add crumbled feta cheese on top – return to oven or microwave until runny.
Serve hot.
Stuffed Bell Peppers with Rice and Black Beans
(adapted from Living Good Daily Cookbook (2025) by Dean Rice, available here.)
Ingredients
Bell peppers (red, yellow, or green)
Rice (cooked, half a cup per person/per bell pepper)
Tin of black beans (rinsed and drained, quarter tin per bell pepper)
Corn kernels (fresh or frozen, quarter cup per bell pepper)
Tomatoes (diced, spoonful per bell pepper)
Spices (such as cumin or chili powder)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Cheese (grated cheese, optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) – or use the microwave.
Cook the rice according to package instructions, remove from heat, and mix in the uncooked black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, spices, pepper and salt.
Slice the tops off the bell peppers and gently scoop out the pulp.
Spoon the rice mixture into the bell peppers.
Add cheese on top (optional).
Place in a baking dish, drizzle lightly with oil, and bake for about 25–30 minutes (or about 5 minutes in the microwave) until golden.
Serve hot.
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MARTINA NICOLLS is an Australian author and international human rights-based consultant in foreign aid evaluations and audits, education, psychosocial support, resilience, peace and stabilization, and communication, including script writing and voice work. She lives in Paris. Her latest books are: If Paris Were My Lover (2025), Tranquility Mapping (2025), Moon, Mood, and Mind Mapping Tracker (2025), and Innovations within Constraints Handbook (2025). She is the author of: The Paris Residences of James Joyce (2020), Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).
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