Jul 2011

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

My husband is very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but once in a while, I can slip in something vegetarian and get away with it. These stuffed peppers were a huge hit! They are chock full of veggies and protein, which makes them hearty and filling while remaining very healthy. Adding cumin really adds a nice spice to the peppers and helps bring out the flavors of the veggies. You could really add any veggies that you’d like, and if you’re not a big fan of quinoa, go ahead and substitute rice.

Note: We had a lot of filling left over, so either buy an extra pepper, or use the filling to make veggies burgers, or use it in quesadillas.

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
3 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red or orange bell peppers

Directions:
Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook for 5
minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in
spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has
evaporated.

Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups of water. Cover, and bring
to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is
tender. Stir in 1 cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking
dish.

Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in
baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each
pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes more, or until the tops
of the stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed
peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before
serving.

*Freezer Friendly Tip* – These peppers freeze beautifully! To freeze, wrap each unbaked, stuffed pepper in foil, then place in a ziplock freezer bag. Allow them to come to room
temperature, then bake for 60-70 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Source: Vegetarian Times

If you like stuffed peppers…check out this Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe.