These quinoa stuffed peppers are filled with flavor and simple to make. A delicious, healthy, and quick meal my whole family enjoyed.
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Mexican Stuffed Quinoa Bell Peppers
I absolutely love when I find easy and healthy dinner ideas that my whole family will eat. Stuffed bell peppers are a favorite, especially this quinoa version or my chicken stuffed peppers. We love them!
One of my favorite vegetables is red bell peppers! Which is weird because I didn’t start liking them until I got married. I always remember my Dad eating them growing up and NOT wanting to try them. Once I got married, my husband bought bell peppers to go on top of our salads and to my surprise I loved them!
I have seen several recipes for stuffed bell peppers with cooked quinoa online and never found one I’ve liked. I finally came up with my own version and love how they turned out. The kids even ate these easy stuffed bell peppers…everyone loved them!
How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
COOK FILLING. Saute onion until translucent, then add meat and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease. Add in beans, tomatoes, green chiles, water, quinoa, cumin, taco seasoning, and S&P. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until quinoa is done about 10-15 minutes.
STUFF. Line the sliced pepper halves in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Then evenly spoon the filling into the peppers and top with mozzarella cheese.
BAKE. Cover pan with foil, then bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes, or until peppers are soft (but not mushy).
Favorite Toppings
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Sliced avocado
- Sliced olives
- Cilantro
- Red or green onions
- Lime juice
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro lime dressing
Cooking Tips
- Make it a vegetarian dish by omitting the meat. You still get plenty of protein and fiber from the quinoa and beans!
- Feel free to swap the ground turkey with ground beef or even chicken.
- Don’t drain the canned tomatoes or chiles. The liquid helps to cook the quinoa.
- You could swap the quinoa for rice if preferred.
- Don’t forget to cover the pan with foil! This helps steam the peppers so they’re nice and tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
These easy bell peppers take about 40 minutes to cook through. You want the peppers to soften, but not be too mushy. Depending on your oven, the timing could be a little more or a little less. I’d plan on keeping an eye on them after about 30 minutes.
Instead of slicing off the tops, I like to cut my bell peppers in half. Then I’ll stuff each half with the filling mixture. It’s more of an “open-faced” approach and in my opinion, is easier to eat this way. Just make sure to remove the stem, seeds and ribs before stuffing.
These peppers will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Make sure to store in an airtight container (preferably shallow). To reheat, I like to warm mine back up in the oven for about 5-10 minutes.
Precooking or boiling the peppers before stuffing will make them more soft and tender. If you don’t have time, you can stuff them before precooking.
More Healthy Dinner Ideas
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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers , halved length wise, ribs removed
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion
- ½ pound ground turkey (or ground beef)
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes , with liquids (plain is fine too)
- 1 (7-ounce) can diced green chiles , with liquids
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup quinoa
- ½ Tablespoon cumin
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- Salt , to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For serving: Sour cream or Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place pepper halves in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes, or until translucent. Stir in meat and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, water, quinoa, cumin, and taco seasoning. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked.
- Spoon in filling and top with cheese. Cover pan with foil and cook 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and peppers are wilting.
- Remove from oven and serve with sour cream or salsa, if desired. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make it a vegetarian dish by omitting the meat. You still get plenty of protein and fiber from the quinoa and beans!
- Feel free to swap the ground turkey with ground beef or even chicken.
- You could swap the quinoa for rice if preferred.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
I am not a stuffed peppers person but these were so good! They tasted like taco soup but in a pepper. So good!
Glad this recipe could convert you! :) Thanks for your comment and review, Jamie!
best dinner ever!
We love making these for dinner! So simple and delicious!
This turned out DELICIOUS. Love the quinoa!
I’m gonna make these, and leave the peppers whole and cut a little pumpkin face in each pepper
Great idea! I do something similar with making “pumpkin peppers” here: https://www.iheartnaptime.net/chicken-stuffed-peppers/ :)
Oh yummy!. these delicious looking bell peppers made me drool. Loved the recipe
Thanks! Hope you enjoy! :)
Wow! It’s literally tacos in a bell pepper! What a yummy, easy weeknight meal!
Hope you enjoy! :)
This looks like a perfect vegetarian treat. I would love to have these peppers for dinner tonight :)
It’s been so long since I’ve made anything with quinoa and now you have me craving it. This looks absolutely delicious and great for a healthy meal.
Hope you enjoy! Thanks for your comment and review Jenni!
I love, love, LOVE stuffed peppers but haven’t tried them with quinoa. I can’t wait to try it because these look AMAZING!
Hope you enjoy them as much as we do! :)