Last fall I made stuffed peppers using ground beef and rice that were delicious, but also pretty heavy. After just one I felt pretty stuffed myself! I recreated them using quinoa instead of rice and black beans instead of ground beef to make a healthy and light combination that’s also vegetarian friendly! You can swap the cheese on top for avocado slices to make it vegan as well! In today’s world of picky diets (no-carbs, no-meat, ALL meat, paleo, vegan, vegetarian….. you get the point) these are a great option when cooking for a large amount of people! Try them tonight and see what you think! : )
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(The mixture is enough to fill 4-5 bell peppers, but since I was only cooking for 2, I froze the remaining mix to use at a later date.)
Ingredients:
4-5 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed
½ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water or chicken broth
Zest from one lime
Juice from one lime
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
¼ of a red onion, finely chopped
½ of a jalapeño, ribbed and seeded
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
One 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
One 8oz can of corn, drained
½ Tbs taco seasoning – Click here for my homemade taco seasoning recipe!
Shredded cheese or avocado slices to top the peppers
Sour cream or salsa for serving (optional)
(1.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, drop peppers in and boil for 2-3 minutes. (2.) Remove from water with tongs and place upside-down onto a paper towel to dry. (3.) Next combine quinoa and water (or chicken broth) in a medium sized sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid for approximately 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the quinoa. (4.) Stir in lime zest, lime juice, and chopped cilantro if all other ingredients are ready to go. If not, remove from heat and keep covered until other ingredients are ready before adding zest and cilantro.
(5.) In a medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add onion, jalapeño, and minced garlic. (6.) Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Season with salt and pepper. (7.) In a large bowl, stir together onion and pepper mixture, rinsed black beans, corn, and taco seasoning. (8.) Add cilantro and lime quinoa and stir until all ingredients are mixed.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and fill a deep baking dish with just enough water to cover the bottom.
Spoon mixture into peppers and place in prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
If you’re making without cheese, top with avocado slices and serve. If making with cheese, switch oven to broil setting, top peppers with cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Use tongs to remove peppers from baking dish and plate. Serve with a side of salsa or sour cream.
Enjoy!
Erica @ Amplified Culture says
Just made this recipe and I loved it. The taco seasoning was great too. Thanks for the great meal!
Sasha says
Thank you Erica! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Alexis S. says
I made these last night for dinner. I used to just buy stuffed bell peppers from Trader Joes’s but this recipe made it so simple for me. I enjoyed them even more than store bought because the bell peppers stayed crisp, not soggy.
I was nervous about spiciness because of my 5 year old son, but he helped me make them, tasting as we prepares to ensure mild flavor. I just added spice to mine after. He loved them! I just found your site two days ago and cannot wait to try more recipes!
Sasha says
Thank you Alexis! I’m so happy to hear that the whole family enjoyed cooking AND eating them! 🙂
Scott says
This was really good. It will be my 2nd time making it in 2 weeks. The first time I felt that the pepper to internal “stuffing” ratio was off, so the 2nd time I served extra stuffing on the side. Thanks for sharing! P.S. Nice tatt’s!
Sasha says
Thanks Scott! I’m so happy you liked it!
Theresa Conarello says
This recipe sounds great except for the red peppers which I don’t like, Do you think using Portabella mushrooms instead would work well?
cindy says
Have you ever served them cold? I was wondering about taking them to a picnic.
cindy says
Would they be good to take to a picnic? Or best served warm? Thanks
Sasha says
I would say that they’re best served warm, but you could always make a cold quinoa salad using the same elements. Instead of stuffing the peppers with the black bean and quinoa mix you could cut the peppers into strips, saute them, add to the quinoa mix and chill a few hours before the picnic. I would cut the recipe in half and try it out beforehand to see what you think. Another option would be to cook them the night before, cover, and refrigerate. Heat a crock pot on low and put about 1/2 inch to an inch of water in it and place the stuffed peppers inside about an hour or so before serving. I hope this helps Cindy and I hope that no matter what you decide on doing that you have a wonderful picnic!
Crystal says
great recipe! I altered it by sauteing onions & garlic then adding Quinoa to cook altogether, skipped the pre-cooking of bells and it turned out great! Was a nice family dinner
Andra Harris says
Gave up meat for Lent (might give it up for good) and this was the first recipe I cooked. This was awesome!
Maricruz says
My husband is a vegetarian (I am not) so I will be trying this! One important note, however; for this to be vegetarian or vegan, you have to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Sasha says
That’s awesome! You guys will have to let me know what you think! And yep, that’s why I offered water OR chicken stock. I would hope most veggies and vegans know what they can and can eat! Haha I just provide the recipe, but I leave it up to the reader to know their dietary restrictions! 😉
Sarah says
I came across this recipe in a recent Greatist.com article, and HAD to try it. It came out so delicious. I used sliced avocado instead of cheese (not vegan, just don’t really like it), and swapped out sour cream for a dollop of plain greek yogurt to make it a slightly healthier topping. Phenomenal recipe, though, it will definitely be a new regular in my meal rotation!
Becca says
I just have to say that I tried this recipe last night with my fiancé and WE LOVED IT. Because we are not vegetarian, we served it along side some cilantro-lime marinated chicken breast and later used some of the leftover filling/chicken for the best nachos I have ever had (not as healthy, I know). I suspect this recipe could also be converted into some pretty delicious fajitas as well, vegetarian, or otherwise. Needless to say, I will be making this again…. possibly tonight….
Sasha says
I’m so happy you loved it Becca! And I love how you used your leftovers for a new and different meal! Thank you so much for taking the time to try one of my recipes!
Gaby says
Do you know the nutritional information for this meal?
Sasha says
Hi Gaby, unfortunately I don’t have all the nutritional info for this recipe. You would have to calculate it based off of each item individually, but it’s a fairly low calorie dish.
Jen says
My favorite is to leave out the peppers and simply make the stuffing to be served as a side dish/salad. Delicious!