Filling and scrumptious, these southwestern-flavored quinoa stuffed peppers are the right meatless Monday meal. Bell peppers are full of a mildly spicy combination of quinoa, black beans, candy corn, and Mexican cheese and baked to fork-tender.
If you happen to’re a fan of southwestern flavors, try my different recipes for Southwestern Taco Skillet, White Rooster Chili, and this tasty Tamale Pie.
I really like the flavors of the southwest. Daring and earthy with just a bit bit of warmth, they make for a critically tasty dinner. You already know what else I really like? A scrumptious, hearty, colourful stuffed pepper loaded with the whole lot you want in a meal. These stuffed bell peppers hit each marks. Stuffed to the brim with black beans, veggies, protein-rich quinoa, and an excellent mix of herbs and spices, these meatless mains are the right all-in-one meal. It’s important to give them a attempt!
Why You’ll Love My Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- A hearty vegetarian important. These stuffed bell peppers are filling and a whole meal regardless of having no meat in them. It’s our Meatless Monday fave!
- Loaded with southwestern taste. I really like the flavors of the Southwest packed into bell peppers. Black beans, candy corn, Mexican cheese, and somewhat warmth, what’s to not love?
- Nice for meal prep. These stuffed peppers are an ideal make-ahead meal. They retailer nicely and reheat properly. Make an enormous batch, retailer them within the fridge or freezer, and pop one within the microwave whenever you’re prepared for a fast, straightforward lunch or dinner.
Recipe Components
Colourful bell peppers, black beans, corn, and tomatoes are only a few easy components you’ll have to make these straightforward quinoa stuffed peppers.
- Butter – The butter is used to grease the baking dish. You may use non-stick cooking spray as a substitute.
- Bell peppers – I like utilizing an assortment of colours, however use any coloration of bell peppers you want.
- Vegetable broth – Rooster broth or beef broth would additionally work.
- Quinoa – Be happy to swap the quinoa out for rice cooked per the package deal’s directions.
- Olive oil – Used for sauteing the veggies.
- Yellow onion – You may use a crimson or white onion as a substitute. Shallots would additionally work.
- Salt – To boost the flavors of the filling.
- Canned candy corn – Provides texture and freshness to the dish.
- Black beans – If you happen to like, you should utilize pinto beans and even chickpeas as a substitute.
- Grape tomatoes – Canned tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or diced Roma tomatoes would additionally work.
- Seasoning – I take advantage of a scrumptious combination of cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley (or cilantro), salt, and recent floor black pepper.
- Shredded 4-Cheese Mexican Mix – Shredded cheddar cheese would additionally do the trick.
- Plain yogurt or mild bitter cream for serving.
Methods to Make Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Right here’s a fast overview of easy methods to make these stuffed peppers with quinoa. It’s comparatively straightforward – lower the peppers in half, cook dinner the quinoa and aromatics, stuff the peppers, and bake!
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a baking dish with butter. Organize the halved bell peppers lower facet up on the baking dish.
- Prepare dinner the quinoa. Mix vegetable broth and quinoa in a small saucepan, deliver the combination to a boil, decrease the warmth, and simmer for quarter-hour. Take away from the warmth and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Make the filling. Warmth olive oil over medium warmth. Add the onions, season with salt, and saute till translucent. Add the corn and beans and saute for two minutes. Stir in grape tomatoes, cooked quinoa, and seasonings.
- Make it tacky. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and cook dinner till the cheese is melted. Flip off the warmth.
- Stuff the peppers. Pack an equal quantity of filling into every pepper.
- Bake. Bake for half-hour. Prime with the remaining cheese, and bake for an extra 5 minutes.
- Serve. Enable the stuffed peppers to chill for five minutes, prime every with a dollop of plain yogurt or mild bitter cream, and serve.
Suggestions For Success
- Rinse the quinoa. Quinoa might be bitter. Rinsing it earlier than cooking will assist eliminate that bitterness.
- Fluff the quinoa. Don’t overlook to fluff your quinoa with a fork earlier than making the filling. In any other case, it is going to clump collectively.
- Stuff liberally. When stuffing the peppers, be sure to get the filling into each nook and cranny.
- Don’t overcook the peppers. If you happen to cook dinner the bell peppers for too lengthy, they may get soggy. So bake them simply till they’re fork-tender, then take away them from the oven.
Serving Ideas
Considered one of these stuffed peppers actually is a whole meal in and of itself, however you’ll be able to completely serve yours with a facet or two in the event you’d like. I get pleasure from mine with a pleasant Inexperienced Goddess Salad and a cup of soup, resembling my Broccoli Potato Soup. Craving some further veggies? Prepare dinner up a batch of Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli or Oven Roasted Asparagus.
Methods to Retailer & Reheat Leftovers
- To retailer. As soon as the peppers have cooled to room temperature, seal them in a single layer in an hermetic container. They’ll hold within the fridge for as much as 4 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months.
- To reheat. Enable the stuffed peppers to thaw within the fridge (if relevant) earlier than arranging them in a single layer in a baking dish, overlaying them with aluminum foil, and baking at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or till heat. You may additionally reheat particular person stuffed peppers within the microwave in 30-second intervals till heat.
Extra Stuffed Pepper Recipes To Strive
There are such a lot of methods to do stuffed peppers. Listed below are a few of my different favourite renditions. Let me know which is your favourite!
- butter, for the baking dish
- 4 bell peppers, halved longwise and cleaned
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned candy corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 teaspoon floor cumin, or to style
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, or to style
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to style
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley, it’s also possible to use cilantro
- salt and freshly floor black pepper, to style
- 2 cups shredded 4-Cheese Mexican Mix, divided
- plain yogurt or bitter cream, for serving
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Preheat oven to 375˚F.
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Grease a baking dish with butter, prepare the halved bell peppers within the baking dish, and put aside.
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In a small saucepan, mix the vegetable broth and quinoa and convey to a boil; decrease to a simmer, cowl, and proceed to cook dinner for quarter-hour. Take away from warmth, gently fluff with a fork, and put aside.
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In the meantime, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the diced onions and season with salt; cook dinner for 1 to 2 minutes or till translucent.
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Stir within the corn and beans; proceed to cook dinner for two minutes.
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Stir within the tomatoes and cooked quinoa; season with cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Style it and add extra of the spices and seasonings if wanted.
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Add 1 cup shredded cheese, combine nicely, and proceed to cook dinner for two to 4 minutes, or till the whole lot is heated via and the cheese is melted.
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Take away from warmth and divide the combination evenly between all of the peppers, packing the quinoa combination tightly into the hole pepper shells.
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Bake uncovered for half-hour.
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Take away from oven and prime every pepper with remaining cheese.
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Put again within the oven and proceed to bake for five minutes or till the cheese is melted.
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Take away from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
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Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or bitter cream on prime.
Energy: 275 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Protein: 14 g | Fats: 13 g | Saturated Fats: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 6 g | Ldl cholesterol: 17 mg | Sodium: 398 mg | Potassium: 496 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 2304 IU | Vitamin C: 81 mg | Calcium: 354 mg | Iron: 2 mg
Dietary information is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values could fluctuate in response to the components and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.