These vegetarian quinoa stuffed peppers are hearty and filling and the perfect vegetarian option for any day you feel liking being healthy. It doesn’t hurt that they are super tasty as well.
It’s January, which is all about eating healthy! In fact, Food and Wine comes out with a great healthy eating calendar every year! I mean we’ve got to lose some of those pounds we added during the holidays, or at least I do.
Unfortunately for me, I battle eating healthy sometimes as I just want to eat what I enjoy. But luckily these vegetarian stuffed bell peppers are not only healthy, but taste great too!
Lauren and I are all about southwest flavors, but most times we’re eating meals loaded with not necessarily the healthiest ingredients so this is a nice change of pace for us. What makes these quinoa stuffed peppers great, is you can change the flavors around a little just with the spices you use. You could even use some salsa, instead of diced green chilis.
I know for us, we can’t handle too much heat, but if you need more heat just add some cayenne pepper. So if you are like us and need to be on the healthier side these days, then give these quinoa stuffed peppers a try.
What Ingredients are in this Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe?
- Produce – bell peppers, corn, cherry tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, lime
- Quinoa
- Green chilis
- Black beans
- Pepper jack cheese
- Spices – cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt
How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- Slice peppers in half and remove seeds.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chilis, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese and spices.
- Spoon filling to the top of each cavity of the pepper. Top with remaining cheese.
- Place stuffed peppers in 9×13 baking dish and fill with a small amount of water.
- Cover with and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.
Can I Make this Vegan?
Yes you can. There are plenty of vegan cheese options out there that will work with these stuffed peppers. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make your own vegan pepper jack cheese. Check out Baked-In’s post on how she made it.
Can You Freeze Stuffed Peppers?
Yes you can either cook the quinoa stuffed peppers and the freeze in a freezer safe dish for up to 3 months or stuff the peppers but don’t cook and freeze them raw. Either way you then just place in the oven and cook at 350°F. If they’re already cooked, you cook until just warmed through and if they are raw, you’ll want to cook for about 1 1/2 hours.
Tips for Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Buy a block of pepper jack cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese just doesn’t taste the same.
- Adding a small amount of water to dish when baking is important in creating steam which cooks the peppers faster.
- If you like more heat, save the seeds from the peppers and stir in the filling or add some cayenne pepper.
- Don’t skip toppings like avocado, cilantro and lime juice. These ingredients all help enhance the flavor.
Other Mexican Inspired Vegetarian Recipes
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Green Chili Veggie Burgers
- Spiralized Sweet Potato Enchilada Skillet
- Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
- Sweet Potato Black Been Burrito
If you’ve tried these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.
Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 (4 oz cans) diced green chilis
- 1 (15 oz can) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 bell peppers - tops cut, stemmed and seeded
- avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chilis, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.
- Spoon the filling to the top of each cavity of the pepper. Top with remaining pepper jack cheese. Place the peppers in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with your desired toppings.
Notes
- Buy a block of pepper jack cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese just doesn’t taste the same.
- Adding a small amount of water to dish when baking is important in creating steam which cooks the peppers faster.
- If you like more heat, save the seeds from the peppers and stir in the filling or add some cayenne pepper.
- Don’t skip toppings like avocado, cilantro and lime juice. These ingredients all help enhance the flavor.
Looks like a great healthy recipe!