Just Stuff it —5 Delicious Stuffed Vegetable Recipes

Getting your "five a day" is important to your health - we all know that. But finding palatable ways to work that mantra into your busy schedule can be difficult. A look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest report on produce consumption among adults from 2000-2009 confirms this: During the 10-year period of the study, only 26.7 percent of adults on average reported having three or more servings of vegetables a day, and only 33 percent of adults on average had two or more servings of fruit a day. While there are certainly many factors at play, it seems that knowing what to eat doesn't necessarily translate to changing what we eat. That's why we rounded up some great recipes to help you work some more vegetables into your diet.

Related: The 10 Best Spring Vegetables

Stuffed vegetable recipes are a great way to elevate vegetables from a side dish to something substantial enough to serve as a main course. And, while they are a boon to vegetarians (and we have certainly included some great vegetarian recipes, such as Meatless Monday's Hazelnut Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers), there are also many traditional stuffed vegetable recipes that use meat as well, such as this Turkish Stuffed Cabbage Recipe which features a mixture of ground lamb, basmati rice, onions, and tomatoes. And if you're planning on hosting a party over the weekend, they can easily be scaled up to serve a large number of guests; Ivy Stark's Corn-Stuffed Chiles is a good example, which is both flavorful and fun to make.

Harvest-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms Recipe
Here's a healthy, tasty appetizer or side dish that's quick and easy to make. There's something pretty special about this dish, but it's hard to tell with just a quick glance at the ingredients. They just look delicious. Take a closer look though, and you might guess it - that's right, it's actually vegan.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 onion, chopped finely
1 cup cashews
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked brown rice (or grain of choice)
One 15-ounce can lentils, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
6 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1 tomato, sliced into thin rounds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cashews and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sauté until the onions are soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and let cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

In a large bowl combine the onion mixture, brown rice, lentils, breadcrumbs, vegetable broth, basil, and thyme. Mix together and season to taste with salt and pepper.*

Brush both sides of the mushroom caps lightly with olive oil and place top side down on a lightly oiled sheet pan.** For each mushroom, stuff with about ½ cup of the lentil stuffing, and then press 1 tomato slice on top.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is browned and mushrooms are cooked through. Garnish with extra fresh thyme leaves and serve.

Recipe Details
Servings: 6
Cuisine: American
Special Designations: Vegan, Vegetarian, Healthy

Notes and Substitutions:
*Note: The lentil stuffing can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. **Note: The mushrooms can be stuffed and assembled on a baking sheet the day before serving.

Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes
Here's a quick, healthy snack that's perfect for those lulls between lunch and dinner or after a workout at the gym. Stuffed with tuna and quinoa, these tomatoes are packed with protein.

Click here to see the Tuna-Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe

Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes
Love artichokes? They're great when prepared simply - say, grilled and brushed with some melted better and fresh lemon - but they're even better stuffed.

Click here to see the Sicilian Stuffed Artichokes Recipe

Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms
These savory stuffed mushrooms from Amie Valpone, author of The Healthy Apple, are perfect drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar.

Click here to see the Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe

Corn-Stuffed Chiles
Ivy Stark, author of Dos Caminos' Mexican Street Food, shares a recipe from her book for stuffed ancho chile peppers, rehydrated in tangy-sweet piloncillo-sherry vinegar water.

Click here to see the Corn-Stuffed Chiles Recipe

-Will Budiaman, The Daily Meal

Click Here to See More Stuffed Vegetable Recipes