Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers is an easy vegetarian recipe that's perfect for a weeknight dinner and beautiful enough to serve to guests. Our easy quinoa stuffed peppers take on a Mexican flair, bursting with a filling of quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes and salsa.
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers, a retro comfort food from my childhood, have had a resurgence of popularity lately.
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Personally, I'm loving the ease of making these quinoa stuffed peppers because the filling all cooks in one pot. No need to cook the quinoa in one pot and the rest of the filling in another!
And having dinner all tucked into a delicious bell pepper makes this Mexican stuffed pepper recipe so much fun and very appealing.
And when Halloween rolls around, be sure to make these stuffed peppers standing up with a cut out Jack-O-Lantern face for a fun Halloween dinner!
By using several colors of bell peppers, Mexican vegetarian stuffed peppers are not only filled with good for you protein and grains, but they'll look so beautiful on your dinner table and we all know that you eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth.
Actually that was the first thing I was told in culinary school and I always keep that in mind when creating my recipes.
Serve them on a beautiful platter that compliments their colors and dinner just became deliciously gorgeous.
So whether it’s Meatless Monday or you are living a vegetarian lifestyle, these easy vegetarian stuffed peppers need to be on your dinner table for sure!
Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa is a prefect choice for a stuffed pepper filling because of it's many benefits including:
- Quinoa is a complete source of protein.
- Quinoa is filled with all the essential amino acids that your body needs.
- Quinoa cooks quickly.
- Quinoa is very high in fiber; much higher than most other grains contain.
- Quinoa has a low glycemic index making it good for blood sugar control.
- Quinoa is non-GMO.
- Quinoa is gluten free.
- Quinoa is high in magnesium and iron.
- Quinoa is very high in antioxidants.
How to make Jack-O-Lantern stuffed peppers
- Cut the top of each pepper around the stem to make a lid
- Remove seeds from inside the pepper
- Trim bottoms of pappers, if necessary, so they stand up straight but be careful not to cut any holes in the bottoms or your filling will fall through
- Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut out jack-o-lantern faces in the side of each pepper
- Fill peppers wilth filling
- You can either bake with the cooked filling inside, until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes, or use the method in our recipe below and precook the peppers while you're making your filling
Swirls of Flavor Recipe Tips
- Red, orange and yellow bell peppers are sweeter than green bell peppers
- Cut tops off of peppers, cut out a Jack-O-Lantern face and stuff them for your Halloween dinner
- Use Rotel tomatoes in place of the diced tomatoes
- Make this recipe with your favorite canned beans
Ingredients you will need to make this recipe
- bell peppers
- olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- chili powder
- ground cumin
- black beans
- corn kernels
- diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies
- salsa
- quinoa
- water
- shredded cheese
Related Recipes
Are you convinced of the benefits of quinoa and need more quinoa recipes now? Then it's time to add these quinoa recipes to your line up stat!
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Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil…..the true flavors of summer! Quinoa Caprese combines quinoa, the oh-so popular super food, and the flavors known as "Caprese" for your new favorite dish of the summer!
Lemon Basil Avocado Quinoa with a light citrus dressing, fresh basil and the superfood avocado, is a light yet satisfying addition to any summer meal.
From the juicy fresh strawberries and crunchy pistachios to the delicate quinoa, Strawberry Pistachio Quinoa is packed with nutrition and flavor. Strawberry Pistachio Quinoa lightly coated in a lemon oregano vinaigrette is a great way to use those fragrant strawberries of summer too.
Left to right: Heirloom Tomato Quinoa and Greek Quinoa
Tomatoes, red onion, fresh basil, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar combine to make a flavorful bruschetta topping for quinoa. Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta Quinoa is an easy side dish recipe that's bursting with the fresh flavors of summer in every bite!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad With Feta & Dill is brimming with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, dill and creamy feta cheese, the fresh flavors of Greece.
Left to right: Quinoa Egg Muffina and Quinoa Broth Bowl
And don't forget to add quinoa to your breakfast! Grab N Go Quinoa Egg Muffins are an ideal way to stat your day packed with protein! Fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil…..the true flavors of summer!
Filled with lentils and quinoa, carrots and kale, Quinoa Lentil Broth Bowl will be a perfect Meatless Monday dinner when you make it with vegetable broth and top it with an egg!
Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped, 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies
- 1 cup salsa
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Arrange pepper halves, cut side up in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Add 2 Tablespoons water, cover and bake 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in large non-stick skillet and cook onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin and kosher salt until tender, 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add beans, diced tomatoes with their juices, salsa, corn, quinoa and water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes until liquid has been absorbed.
- Spoon filling into peppers and top with cheese. Return peppers to oven and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are tender.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I often make stuffed peppers with quinoa but I love the Mexican twist!
Thank you Chloe! I always love putting a new twist on those tried and true recipes. Let me know how the recipe turns out for you. And thanks so much for stopping by Swirls! Savor the Moment, Gwynn
Could a bit of ground beef (hamburger) go OK in this recipe?
Yes, you can certainly add a bit of ground beef to this recipe. I would recommend adding it in Step 1 when you are cooking the onion and seasonings. You might end up with a bit more filling than will fit in your peppers but you can just arrange any extra filling, if you have some, around the peppers in your baking dish in Step 6. Hope that helps! Happy Cooking, Gwynn