These easy stuffed peppers, bursting with juicy tomatoes, sweet garlic, and fresh basil, are perfect for a light, fresh, healthy meal. Just make sure you have something to soak up all the lovely, garlicky juices left inside each pepper. I always serve these over rice, fluffy quinoa, or with bread (try a country loaf or homemade focaccia bread). The ingredient list is short, but these peppers pack in the flavor. They are incredibly delicious when made with peak summer tomatoes and basil. I make these around the same time as our roasted tomato soup and tomato bruschetta!
Key Ingredients
Bell Peppers: I love sweet bell peppers for this recipe. Green bell peppers are okay but not as sweet, so if you can find them, go for red, yellow, or orange. Tomatoes: Fresh, ripe tomatoes are the best for this recipe. However, you can use canned whole tomatoes if you don’t have access to fresh tomatoes. Garlic and Basil: I use a generous amount of fresh garlic and slice it so I can see it once the peppers have roasted. Basil is incredible, but if you want to make this when basil is less available, try other fresh herbs like parsley or fresh thyme. Cheese: This is optional, but I love crumbling a little feta cheese or goat cheese over the stuffed peppers just before serving.
How to Make Tomato Basil Stuffed Peppers
These vegetarian stuffed peppers are incredibly easy to make and packed with flavor. To make them, I slice bell peppers in half, then remove the membrane and seeds from inside. Then, I add tomatoes, lots of garlic, and fresh basil and finish with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. As the peppers bake in the oven, all the juices from the peppers, tomatoes, and garlic pool at the bottom of the pepper halves. It’s pure gold! When they are out of the oven, I crumble a little feta or goat cheese over the pepper halves and enjoy. Remember, you’ll need something like bread to soak up that delicious liquid inside each pepper. This is seriously one of our favorite summer recipes! 8 small tomatoes 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 small bunch fresh basil 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 3 ounces goat cheese or feta cheese 1 bakery-style bread loaf or focaccia bread, warmed for serving 2Cut each pepper in half lengthwise through the stem. Remove the membrane and seeds, but leave the stalk intact. (The stalks are not edible, but they will help the peppers keep their shape while roasting.) Lay the pepper halves in the sheet pan with the insides facing up. 3Cut the tomatoes into quarters, evenly divide, and add to each pepper half. 4Divide the garlic slices and fresh basil leaves between the pepper halves. 5Drizzle the pepper halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 6Bake until the peppers are tender, about 50 minutes. Transfer the cooked peppers to a serving dish, pour any juices left in the pan over them, crumble feta or goat cheese into each pepper, and serve alongside warmed bread.
