You know when you don’t intentionally do something but then it works out perfectly? That’s exactly what happened with these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers because Meatless Monday!! Duh!
Post Peru trip I’ve OBSESSING over these ricotto relleno peppers that we had at the Inkaterra property in Cusco and I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind. So I’ve since made a few alterations to make them easier, because hi have you met me!, and now they are coming your way! There’s a quinoa risotto type situation on the inside along with some corn and black beans, cheese on top because why not, and some guacamole on the side to round out the meal. It’s perfection!
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
These are delicious! You can use leftover quinoa to make it easy.
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers halved (from top to bottom), seeds removed
- 1 cup multi-colored quinoa
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 15- ounce can black beans drained
- 2-3 cups shredded pepperjack cheese plus more as needed
- ¾ cup chipotle salsa
- 4 green onions finely sliced
- 2 corn on the cob kernels removed
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Toppings:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Sliced Green Onions Cilantro, Finely chopped red onions
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Brush the halved peppers with vegetable oil and place them cut side up on the baking sheet.
- Heat the olive in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder and garlic powder and stir to combine. Continue to cook for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Add the spiced onion mixture to the quinoa. Stir in the black beans, cheese, salsa, green onions and corn kernels. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper as needed. Add more salsa if you want more smokiness.
- Generously stuff halved peppers with quinoa mixture until all peppers are full, then cover the dish with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes covered, then remove foil, sprinkle a little extra cheese on top, increase heat to 400 degrees F, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until peppers are soft and slightly golden brown.
- Garnish with assorted toppings listed above.
Notes
These are vegetarian, but feel free to leave off the cheese or pick up a vegan option to fit into a vegan diet.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 1140mg | Potassium: 1234mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 4764IU | Vitamin C: 164mg | Calcium: 526mg | Iron: 6mg
Love the look of these!! I’d be obsessing over them too!
Do these stuffed peppers reheat well for lunches?
they sure do!
These look incredible! I’m all about a slightly healthier version of comfort food that doesn’t sacrifice great flavors. Can’t wait to make these.
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Those look uh-amazing!
delicious and healthy! I love these!
Looks tasty! Wonder if I could get my kids to eat it…
Meatless Monday is a hit with this dish! Shocked that my husband didn’t ask for the meat! He ate 4! Will definitely make again, you’ve got to try this dish it’s so flavorful!!
These are so in my wheelhouse! Done!
These sound like a perfect healthy dinner! I love bell peppers and quinoa, so I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
— Dani @ http://www.styledvariety.com
What would be a good side dish with these?
A salad, roasted broccoli/broccolini, asparagus, any kind of veggie!
Just made these tonight, and they were a big hit! Can’t wait to have the leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Thanks, Gaby!
Could you assemble these and freeze them for later?
don’t add the cheese until you’re ready to bake – but otherwise I think that would work!
Hey Gaby! Do you usually cook your quinoa with water or broth?
usually water!
I made these recently and they were delicious! I actually added ground turkey to the recipe, which practically doubled the recipe. I froze the leftovers and have been eating it slowly on top of mixed greens, with a dash of hot sauce. It is SO GOOD! Love your recipes!
I made these for my family that was coming to visit and holy wow these are amazing. I just got ingredients to make them again!
Could you also heat up just the quinoa mixture and eat it by itself?
sure!!
hi Gaby – should I use your chiplote salsa recipe or is there one you use off the shelf as well? Thanks!
I have my own salsa at Williams Sonoma that I use!! or you can use the one on my site
Do you cook the corn before adding it to the mix?
nope!
Hi Gaby,
These recipes look amazing and delicious!
Have a great week
Lucy
Just made these tonight- added ground turkey. YUM. The flavors are a hit and the guacamole on top is a must!
Looks great would this work well with poblano chiles with all the good flavors here?
absolutely
I made these last night and they were delicious!! I thought it was super easy to make and made a great weeknight meal. I added more salsa like the recipe suggest and it was perfect. The peppers were a perfect texture and not mushy. Thanks!
We make these ALL THE TIME now, so sooo good!
These are amazingly delicious – subbed enchilada sauce for the salsa. A real repeat recipe!
so happy to hear it!
Gaby, I’m loving all your recipes. These were delicious! Got some saved in the freezer for later.
Thank you!
Hi, I live alone and don’t plan on eating all of these this week. Do you think these would be okay to freeze after being cooked?
absolutely – they freeze great
I saw you on CBS Saturday and found your website. Yesterday I made your Summer Grilled Chicken Power Salad and it was definitely 5 stars, in fact one of the best salads I’ve ever had! Today I decided to make the stuffed peppers. With it being a pandemic I feel like I’m cooking on Chopped. The recipes called for 4 peppers, well I had three fresh and one whole pepper in the freezer, I can do that! Pepper Jack cheese, well I’ve got Mexican, not going to the store so I’ll put in a jalapeño with the onions. Again, we’re all living through Chopped! Even with those changes the recipe was another amazing success! Wow so far I love your recipes. Thanks Gaby!
So happy to hear it! thanks Jan! xx
These look delicious! Wondering what the serving size is.
I eat 2 halves – so this would serve 4 typically
These were just so good and easy. Made them exactly as recipe directed. Trying to eat more of a plant based diet and these were great for that.
So excited to hear about your pregnancy. Best of luck.
Yummy!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good. I was a bit worried it would be too spicy for me as when I tried it after mixing everything together it was pretty hot. But after it cooked in the oven the flavours mellowed out to a perfect spice level. A simple, tasty meal. Thank you for your fab recipies!
Man I really loved these!! Made them tonight for dinner and they were better then even anticipated.
My grocery store had one jar of Chipotle Salsa for $5 and a jar of Chunky Regular Salsa on sale for $1.69 I went with the regular salsa and then added a tablespoon of a Chipotle Rub I had in my spice cabinet. It worked very well. Thanks Gaby for a another great one!
When you say 2 cups of quinoa, is that 2 cups cooked or raw?
it’s 1 cup multi-colored quinoa and then it gets cooked in step #1. So the ingredient is just plain / uncooked quinoa
So good. Whole family LOVES them! Have made again and again. They reheat super well too.
This was sooooo good! I made my family traditional stuffed peppers (deconstructed) and then made my vegetarian dinner. Next time, we are all eating this dish. The flavor is perfect, all blend together so well, and I topped mine with a little sour cream and a good amount of guacamole. Holy moly, my belly is happy tonight!
Thank you Gaby! peppers were Delish. My family loved it.
Be well & Happy 🙂
Loved it but I added some lime into the stuffing while mixing it. It turned out great. Perfect flavor! I think I might need to leave the peppers in the oven maybe 10min longer to have them be more tender. My oven might not be the greatest.
Can’t wait to try one of the fish tacos recipe next
These look fantastic! I intended to make them tonight but, just like the intro says, “when you don’t intentionally do something but it turns out perfectly?” I ended up turning this recipe into a taco bake for less cooking time. Still turned out delicious as all your recipes do!
Absolutely loved these stuffed peppers! They were very satisfying, and we did not miss the meat at all. The filling is so tasty that I’m thinking of other ways to use it in other meals. I could eat it by the spoonful !
OMG! I just put these in the oven but I had a good amount of leftover stuffing since I only had three peppers. I can’t stop eating it. Absolutely delicious. If I don’t eat all the extra stuffing, I’ll mix it with some shredded chicken and stuff a burrito (and my face). Thanks for the great recipes, Gaby. So looking forward to your next book.
OMG! I just put these in the oven but I had a good amount of leftover stuffing since I only had three peppers. I can’t stop eating it. Absolutely delicious. If I don’t eat all the extra stuffing, I’ll mix it with some shredded chicken and stuff a burrito (and my face). Thanks for the great recipes, Gaby. So looking forward to your next book.
Easy, delicious and so filling! Its delicious to eat just the filling, served over a bed of raw spinach with lime juice, plain greek yogurt, and avocado. It makes for an easy meal for dropping off to someone as well!
One of my favorite recipes and love that it’s meatless!
Can you use frozen corn?
sure can!
At what point do you freeze if?