By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 2, 2026
Serves 4
347 cal · 50 min
Rainbow Bell Pepper Boats with Garbanzo Beans and Kale
Recipe GLPRc3eef7b5c83df7
Colorful bell pepper halves stuffed with a hearty mixture of brown rice, sautéed kale, creamy mashed and whole garbanzo beans, and toasted walnuts. Baked until the peppers are tender and the filling is warm. A nutritious, plant-based side dish that's as visually appealing as it is delicious.
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Ingredients
2 cups, cooked Instant brown rice
4 Medium bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange)
2 cups Fresh kale, chopped
1 15 oz can Low-sodium garbanzo beans, canned
½ cup Walnuts, chopped
¼ teaspoon Salt
⅛ teaspoon Black pepper
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Prepare the brown rice according to package directions until fully cooked; set aside to cool slightly.
While the rice cooks, slice each bell pepper in half vertically from stem to tip. Carefully remove the seeds and white membranes from each pepper half, creating a boat-like vessel for the filling.
Drain and rinse the canned garbanzo beans. Measure out about 1 cup of beans and set aside whole. Place the remaining beans in a bowl and mash them with a fork until creamy, leaving some texture.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked brown rice with the chopped kale, mashed beans, whole beans, chopped walnuts, salt, and black pepper. Stir until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
Place the pepper halves cut-side up in a baking dish. Divide the rice and bean mixture evenly among the pepper boats, packing it gently into each half.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes, until the peppers are mostly tender.
Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes to lightly brown the tops. The peppers should be soft when pierced with a fork.
Comments
Every ingredient is a commodity item at any Charlotte chain—brown rice, canned or dried garbanzos, fresh kale and peppers are standard at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and Kroger year-round. Cost per serving lands around $1.80 to $2.20, driven by the walnuts and the volume of kale needed, but nothing extravagant. The stated 50 minutes glosses over rice cooking time; realistically you are at 60 minutes if starting from dry rice, or 40 if using precooked. It's a forgiving weeknight dish that holds up well in the fridge and reheats without drama, though the kale can soften on a second day.
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