2 large bell peppers, cleaned and halved crosswise
1/3 (12 ounce) block firm tofu, pressed and mashed with a fork
2 heaping tablespoons vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt, to taste
1 cup sausage crumbles (I used this VegWeb recipe: Sausage Crumbles)
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or 2 tablespoons fresh herbs
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (or jarred tomato sauce)
4 slices vegan cheese, american flavor (I use Tofutti)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place bell pepper halves in an 8" x 8" baking dish
2. In a separate bowl, combine tofu, cream cheese, garlic powder and salt. This is the ricotta-like layer. Evenly spoon into the four pepper halves, smoothing into the corners. Top each pepper with 1/4 cup sausage crumbles.
3. For sauce, in a pan, heat olive oil. Add and saute mushrooms and onions for 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning or herbs and cook 30 seconds more. Add canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Spoon evenly over the peppers.
4. Top with the cheese slices. Bake for 60 minutes, checking on the peppers at around 45 minutes. If the cheese has already melted and browned, place some tinfoil lightly over the peppers to prevent it from getting too dark.
Source of recipe: I wrote this recipe.