fbpx Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Healthy Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews
  • Author: Nkechi Ajaeroh
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 2 people 1x
  • Category: Entree
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

This quinoa stuffed peppers are healthy, nutritious, and delicious. From the superfood quinoa to the health-improving bell peppers and other vegetables, this recipe is sure to become favorite.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 big bell peppers (orange and green; or any color)
  • 1½ cups of (already) cooked quinoa
  • ½ cup of thinly chopped zucchini
  • ½ cup of thinly chopped white or yellow onions
  • ½ cup to ¾ cup of thinly chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 1 small carrot (grated) or about ½ a cup of grated carrot
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon of grated fresh garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (optional; for color)
  • 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese (you may add more if you wish or don’t add at all)
  • 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder
  • ½ teaspoon dry rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper (may increase or reduce quantity)
  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil

Instructions

  1. First, wash and thinly chop all the vegetables (zucchini, onions, and fresh tomatoes). Then grate the carrot, fresh ginger, and garlic. Half the bell peppers, remove the seeds, wash, and use a paper towel to dry. Set all aside. Preheat your oven to 350 while continuing with the rest of the preparation.
  2. Then set a clean pan on the stove, add olive oil, and allow to heat up, then add the onions cook to soften just a bit, add carrot, sauté for about 2 minutes. While doing so, add the tomato paste, seasoning powder, rosemary, pepper, and stir very well. Now add the chopped zucchini and give another good stir, taste for flavors, and adjust as needed, cook everything for another 2 minutes or so, turn off the heat, and set aside. While this sautéed filling is off the stove, gently stir in the quinoa and the cheese; ensure to mix well into the entire bunch.
  3. Place a clean baking dish on a level surface, and add about 1/3 cup of water to it. This way, the peppers stay hydrated from the oven heat, and the inside stays moist.
  4. Now with a spoon or ice cream scoop on hand, start filling up the already washed and cleaned up halves of bell peppers with the sautéed quinoa – veggie mix. Place filled peppers inside the baking dish, repeat the same process to fill up all the peppers. Then use a foil to cover the baking dish gently and bake for 30 – 35 minutes (depending on the size of your peppers, I baked mine up 40 minutes because they were extra-large.
  5. Serve these with more (chopped) fresh zucchini and tomatoes, garnish with green onions, chopped parsley, and enjoy.

Notes

I would typically grate the garlic and ginger with the hand-held grater as the carrot.

Do not over sauté the vegetables because they are still going to cook for a long time inside the oven. Remember, you can actually mix all the fillings and scoop into the pepper without sautéing, but sautéing intensifies their flavors.

The filling in this recipe can fill up six halves of bell peppers (it usually depends on the sizes of the peppers.) My bell peppers were extra-large, so I needed only 4.

Feel free to add more cheese to this dish, I love keeping it light and healthier.

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes