Colorful veggies aren’t solely limited to slicing, dicing, and dunking into delicious dips. Whether you’re working with cremini mushrooms, bell peppers, or spaghetti squash, you can hollow them out and stuff them with just about anything your heart desires: ground beef, savory sausage, fluffy rice, melty cheese, fresh herbs, and even more veggies. Loaded with hearty, flavorful fillings, stuffed vegetable recipes are the tastiest way to get your nutrients in. Pass them out as a party appetizer, assign them as your vegetable side, or crown them as the main course of your dinner plate, and these eye-catching, produce-packed dishes will totally steal the show.
Let's start with the obvious: stuffed mushrooms. This classic appetizer is usually filled with a combination of sausage, breadcrumbs, and cheese, but our list has plenty of other equally delicious and extra-innovative ways to enjoy them: Try them with caramelized onions, Caprese salad fixings, or even a creamy crab mixture.
If you’re hoping to make the most of seasonal produce, these recipes will definitely get the done. In the summertime, look to ripe veggies like tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant for a fun cookout side or a show-stopping main event. Come fall, take advantage of all the fresh butternut squashes and acorn squashes by transforming them into a protein-packed dish for a quick weeknight meal or an impressive dinner party entrée. Our collection of stuffed vegetable recipes has no shortage of inspiration—come see for yourself!
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French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms
C.W. Newell
Looking for a crowd-pleasing appetizer? Mushrooms stuffed with caramelized onions and topped with Gruyère cheese are the type of party snack that’ll disappear in minutes.
If you’re in a rut, this recipe will quickly get you out of it. The creamy, hearty filling is topped with breadcrumbs that bake up golden and bubbly. You can even prep it days ahead of time!
Munching on these stuffed stalks will keep you satisfied until dinnertime, thanks to the creamy-yet-crunchy consistency and zesty favor. Best of all, they’ll be ready in 20 minutes!
To give mushrooms an elegant upgrade, load them up with a creamy crab mixture and add a sprinkle of crispy breadcrumbs. Tip: Roast the mushrooms before stuffing them to sop up any extra moisture.
Turn fresh veggies into a full meal by packing bell peppers with a nourishing medley of sausage, chicken, rice, and cheese. Plate it with a side salad for an extra pop of freshness.
So often, spaghetti squash is treated as an alternative to spaghetti, thanks to its twirlable "noodles." Think outside of the box: Here, the halved squash is filled with a Southwestern-inspired combo of ground turkey, corn, and black beans.
When tomatoes are at their peak in summer, think beyond salads and sandwiches. This Tex-Mex-inspired recipe features sausage, bell peppers, stuffing mix, and pepper jack cheese.
This recipe puts eggplant front and center. Rather than slicing and breading it, it's stuffed with small pasta, marinara sauce, fresh basil, and two types of cheese.
Ree's version of stuffed peppers includes a duo of cooked rice and ground beef for an all-in-one bite. Choose a few different colors of bell peppers for an eye-catching dish.
Acorn squash has a limited season, so when it's available in your local grocery store, it's worth stocking up on. One of the most classic preparations is squash stuffed with Italian sausage, mushrooms, rice, and Fontina cheese.
Up the ante on a classic Caprese salad with this hearty, vegetarian-friendly dish. Large mushroom caps are filled with juicy cherry tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, basil, and a drizzle of rich balsamic.
There are so many variations of stuffed peppers, but this recipe is a total classic. And the best part is you can make it in advance, then bake off just before you're ready to serve.
There are so many possibilities of ingredients that you can combine for stuffed eggplant. This Moroccan-inspired version features ground beef, couscous, diced tomatoes, and plenty of warming spices.
Everything about this dish just says fall. Whole butternut squash is halved and filled with breakfast sausage, cremini mushrooms, kale, brown rice, and plenty of cheese.
A staple in eastern European cuisine, this recipe for stuffed cabbage is a labor of love—but it's well worth the effort. Pro tip: start by blanching the cabbage leaves so that they're more tender and easier to work with.
When artichokes are at their peak in spring, it's worth cooking with them every which way. Here, they're stuffed with lemony, garlicky breadcrumbs for a fantastic Italian-inspired starter or side.
Two old-fashioned dishes join forces for this cold weather favorite. A creamy combo of mushrooms, ground beef, and egg noodles are stuffed into colorful bell peppers, then baked until tender.
This vegetarian-friendly recipe has plenty of heft, thanks to a combination of fibrous quinoa, mushrooms, and almonds. Fresh rosemary and maple syrup add autumnal notes that just make sense.