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, which means lots of Mexican-inspired vegetarian meals like crispy tofu tacos or vegetarian burrito bowls.
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!
My wife 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 chiles.
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.
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Recipe Ingredients
- Peppers - bell peppers are best as they are large enough and hold some texture after being cooked.
- Quinoa - the base of the stuffing that has a ton of added nutrients.
- Spices - the combination of cumin, chili powder and garlic powder enhances the flavor of the quinoa stuffed peppers.
Ingredient Swaps
You can mix up the ingredients if you want. Some variations include:
- While I like the benefits of quinoa, rice, barley or farro are good substitutes.
- I use black beans for added protein, but you can also use garbanzo or cannellini beans.
- Pepper jack cheese is my go-to for Mexican-style food, but Monterey jack, cheddar or mozzarella work too.
Step-by-Step Photos
Cook the quinoa according to package instructions then combine the quinoa with the rest of the ingredients and 1 cup of cheese.
Slice tops of the peppers and scoop out the inside. Spoon the filling to the top of each. Add the peppers in a baking dish with some water. Cover with aluminum and bake at 375°F for 50 minutes. Add cheese on top and broil for 2-3 minutes or until melted.
FAQs
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.
No. I like to cut the tops off personally, but you can also just slice down the middle in half and lay the peppers on its sides.
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 ½ hours.
Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa has become super popular and there is good reason for it. Some of the health benefits of quinoa include:
- Contains all nine essential amino acids.
- Has twice as much fiber as other grains which lowers cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels.
- Contains iron which keeps our red blood cells healthy.
- Has lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair.
- Is rich in magnesium which relaxes blood vessels.
- High in riboflavin which improves energy metabolism.
- Contains a high content of manganese which is an antioxidant.
Pro Tips/Recipe 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.
Other Vegetarian Recipes
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.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 (4 oz cans) diced green chiles
- 1 (15 oz can) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 ½ 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 375°F. Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, green chiles, black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, 1 cup pepper jack cheese, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt.
- Slice tops off peppers and scrape out insides. Spoon the filling to the top of each cavity of the pepper. 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 50 minutes.
- Uncover and top each with remaining cheese. Turn broiler on and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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.
Chris says
Looks like a great healthy recipe!