Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

My quinoa stuffed peppers are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, making for a healthy and comforting meal to awaken your taste buds. Prepared with a seasoned mixture of fluffy quinoa, lean ground beef, sun-dried tomatoes and pepitas, then topped with two ooey-gooey cheeses and a fire-roasted tomato sauce, this scrumptious recipe makes for a delectably zesty dinner!

Zesty peppers stuffed with quinoa

When I was a kid, my mom would prepare her recipe for stuffed peppers quite often.

Back then, I wasn't quite as much of a fan of peppers, so it wasn't necessarily my favorite meal, truth be told. But as I grew older, and slowly learned to appreciate foods with more flavor and depth, I ended up really enjoying stuffed peppers as a warming, rustic meal.

Over the years, I've developed my own stuffed pepper recipe to whip up and serve, experimenting with various filling ingredients as well as various peppers, even finding my own method for how to cut and fill the peppers before roasting.

I took a little of what I remembered of Mom's way of preparing them. Her peppers were always wonderfully juicy, since she cooked them in a tomatoey broth, and I loved that. I then mixed in my own preferred ingredients and way of preparing them, and voila—my slightly unique twist on classic stuffed peppers was born!

The flavors are deliciously zesty and warming, with lots of texture. And since quinoa is a complete plant protein, rich in amino acids, fiber and minerals, it's my personal favorite tweak when preparing stuffed peppers!

My recipe for quinoa stuffed peppers

I like a lot of texture as well as seasoning when it comes to stuffed peppers. I also like to give them a bit of a healthy slant by using filling ingredients with a bit of extra nutritional value.

For starters, my “vessels” of choice are bell peppers, preferably the sweeter red and/or yellow peppers. I actually really love to use a combination of both, for extra color!

While I have used rice when preparing my stuffed peppers recipe in the past, these days I really like to use quinoa. Quinoa has a lovely light and fluffy texture, plus all those lovely health benefits listed above, and plays really well with other ingredients and seasonings.

And seeing as I like to add some protein to my filling, I opt for lean ground beef for this recipe. Ground turkey or ground chicken (or even sausage or chorizo) would be very tasty as well.

Where I like to have a little fun is with my spices, and since I appreciate a bit of a kick from south-of-the-border flavors, my choice of seasoning is ground cumin, smoked paprika, a hint of coriander and a pinch of cayenne.

And for a bit of extra texture, color, and flavor, I add in a sprinkle of julienned sun-dried tomatoes and some pepitas (pumpkin seeds), plus some cilantro and green onion.

An ooey-gooey, cheesy lid is a must as a topping for these quinoa stuffed peppers, so I opt for a combination of pepper jack and mozzarella cheeses. I spoon over a very quick and easy fire-roasted tomato sauce for added sauciness.

Here's a glance at how I make my quinoa stuffed peppers recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I begin by preparing my fire-roasted tomato sauce, and set that aside.
2. Next, I prepare my filling by mixing together all of my filling ingredients.
3. I then cut and prepare my bell peppers, and fill each with some of the filling.
4. Then, I add half of my tomato sauce to the bottom of a medium-large baking dish, nestle my peppers into the dish/sauce, cover the dish with foil, and bake the stuffed peppers for 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender.
5. Once the peppers are tender, I remove the foil, top the stuffed peppers with cheese, and place them back into the oven for a moment, uncovered, for the cheese to melt.
6. To serve, I place the quinoa stuffed peppers onto a platter, spoon over some of the rest of the sauce, and garnish with extra cilantro and pepitas.

Recipe

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

These zesty quinoa stuffed peppers are filled with lean ground beef, and topped with a fire-roasted tomato sauce and two cheeses!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Southwestern

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition info: 329 calories (per serving, 1 stuffed pepper halve)

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• ½ small onion, finely minced
• ½ pound lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes
• ¼ cup roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• 4 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish
• 3 red or yellow bell peppers (or a combination) cut in half lengthwise, cored, seeded and membrane removed
• 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
• Salt
• Black pepper

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your fire-roasted tomato sauce ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. To prepare the sauce, add about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a small saucepan or pot set over medium heat, as well as the garlic. Once the garlic is aromatic, add in the diced, fire-roasted tomatoes, a couple of pinches of salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine.
3. Simmer the sauce on low for about 10 minutes, then set aside and keep warm.
4. Next, preheat the oven to 350°F, and gather and prep all of your quinoa stuffed peppers ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
5. To prepare the filling, place a sauté pan over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add in the minced onion and sauté for several minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.
6. Next, add the ground beef to the pan, along with a good pinch of salt and black pepper, and using your spatula or a wooden spoon, break up the ground beef into a fine crumble. Cook the beef until browned, then add the garlic and stir to incorporate until aromatic. Remove the beef mixture from the pan and add it to a large bowl.
7. To that same bowl add the cooked quinoa, the cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes, ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, green onions and ¼ cup cilantro leaves, and mix to combine (check to see if any additional salt/pepper is needed).
8. Prepare your baking dish by spooning roughly half of the fire-roasted tomato sauce into the bottom of the dish.
9. Then, fill the peppers by spooning generous and equal amounts of the filling into the cavity of each halved pepper, and place the peppers into the baking dish.
10. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake the stuffed peppers for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until tender. Then, uncover, top with cheeses, and bake 10 minutes longer to melt the cheese.
11. To finish, place the quinoa stuffed peppers onto a platter, spoon over some of the remaining fire-roasted tomato sauce, and garnish with extra cilantro leaves and pepitas.

Tips & Tidbits for my quinoa stuffed peppers recipe:

• Quinoa for added protein and amino acids: Quinoa is a complete plant protein, and contains all 9 essential amino acids. It also takes on the flavors from the filling really well. For convenience, you can typically find pre-cooked quinoa in the markets these days, either in a pouch in the rice/grains aisle, or in the frozen foods section. I opt for quinoa in my filling here, but you can certainly substitute rice (white or brown), or even couscous, if you prefer.
• Variety of peppers: I find that red and yellow bell peppers are not only wonderfully colorful, but easier to digest than the green peppers. I also like their added sweetness! But feel free to use your favorite kind of pepper.
• How to slice the peppers: While you can simply cut the stem top off the pepper, scoop out the core and fill it that way, I like to cut my bell peppers in half lengthwise, scoop out the core/seeds/membrane, and lay them flat in a baking dish. I find them a little easier to serve this way.
• Lean protein: A bit of added protein gives a touch of extra flavor, and I opt for lean ground beef in this recipe. Other great picks are ground chicken, turkey, sausage, or even chorizo.
• Combo of cheeses: Pepper jack has a little hint of spiciness, which is nice with this recipe, and the mozzarella is creamier. You can use only one if you prefer, or use your own favorite kind of cheese.

Craving more cozy recipes like this one? Check out my recipe for Zucchini Roll Ups, Eggplant Involtini with Beef, Pepper Steak, Zucchini Boats, or even my recipe for Lasagna Roll Ups!

Cook's note: This recipe was originally published in 2012, and has been updated with even more love!