Cheesy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Do you guys watch the Bachelor?
In case you don’t already know this about me, I have seen every single season of the bachelor and bachelorette. Yep. Haven’t missed a one. I’m talkin like old school Trista and Ryan. It used to be my guilty pleasure, but now I don’t even feel guilty about it. It’s the best bad TV out there and I’m proud of my weekly 2 hour (and sometimes 3 hour!!) zone out bad reality tv sessions.
I can’t decide how I feel about this season yet. I’m sure it will be the most dramatic season EVER in bachelor history! I mean come on. Is there anybody in life who has a better job than Chris Harrison?
“Juan Pablo… Ladies… This is the final rose tonight.”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand your job is done for the day. Here’s 5 trillion dollars.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hating. I’m just jealous.
In other news, I’ve had a hard time coming down from my holiday sugar high. I’m still craving comfort food, cake, and ice cream. These stuffed bell peppers helped satisfy that comfort craving.
I know, stuffed peppers can be super gross. I can picture like a soft pepper stuffed with who knows what covered in please don’t tell me.
No thank you.
But these guys are awesome. Fresh and flavorful! Yay! Honestly, sometimes fresh just tastes better.
These aren’t your typical ground beef and rice stuffed peps. I decided to use quinoa as the base and added tons of bright and colorful veggies to lighten it up. Plus a little bit of cheese. Duh.
This filling is awesome on it’s own, as a side, or my favorite, stuffed in peppers! Makes for an elegant meal, and you can serve lots of people at once. A lot of this stuff you may already have on hand. So, go ahead. It’s Monday! Make some peppers, get cozy, watch the bachelor, and please let me know what you think. About the show, not the peppers.
Just kidding.
Cheesy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 bell peppers (see note)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 small zucchini, (small dice)
- 2 shallots, (small dice)
- 2 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 1 medium tomato, (diced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa in the chicken stock according to package. About 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
- Meanwhile, cut the tops off the bell peppers and using a small knife and your hand, remove the inner core and seeds. Place hollowed out peppers and their tops in a dish, cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- In a large pan heat the oil over medium heat, add the zucchini and shallots. Cook for 4-5 minutes over until softened. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato and tomato paste, stirring to combine. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Add beans and peas.
- Off the heat, add the cooked quinoa to the veggie mixture. Squeeze the lemon over the quinoa and stir to combine. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon mixture into pre-cooked peppers and top with a sprinkle of extra cheese. Place the cut tops of the peppers back on, and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes.
Notes
*This recipe serves 4-6 depending on how big or small your peppers are. I like to make 4 peppers and use the leftover stuffing for other dishes and/or lunch throughout the week.
*I find that the yellow and orange peppers are the most flavorful for this dish. But you can use any colors you like.
Kind of.
These were SO yummy! I almost added ground chicken but I’m happy I didn’t. They were so filling yet light & balanced. I’ve never been a huge fan of stuffed peppers, but these will for sure be our go-to when we have extra peppers laying around! Yum yum yum!!!