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Vegetarian Times Issue: February 1, 2009 p.66
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2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups 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 cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.
Member Rating:
Serves 8
Per 1/2 stuffed pepper:
| Calories | 279 |
| Protein | 14g |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 3g |
| Carbs | 36g |
| Cholesterol | 15mg |
| Sodium | 518mg |
| Fiber | 10g |
| Sugar | 9g |
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Oh man, these were delicious. My mom even liked them and she's not a vegetarian! I will be making them again very soon!
My husband and I love these peppers! I made them for a party this weekend and nearly everyone asked for the recipe.
We generally find that there is too much stuffing for the amount of peppers we cook, so we save the left over stuffing and make quesadillas the next night. Use a whole wheat tortilla, add cheese and the left over stuffing, and cook in a non-stick pan or on a panini press. Serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Leftovers never tasted so good!!
These peppers are delicious and reheat nicely. Be sure to rinse the quinoa very well before using.
We made a veganized version of these (just left out the cheese) and they were excellent. All 5 of my kids loved them.
These are by far the best stuff peppers I have ever tried and have become part of our regular meal rotation. They freeze and reheat well and the left overs make a delicious lunch! I've substituted grated sweet potatoes for the carrots with success. With this recipe there is always some stuffing leftover, but it makes a great side dish or it can be formed into patties for veggie burgers.
Excellent recipe. I do a bit of tweaking (like extra spices and corn), but they're delicious and as Elizabeth mentioned, I like having versatile leftovers!
I made these for my family's Easter dinner, after trying them out myself a few weeks earlier and they were the hit of the meal, even amongst my carnivore relatives. 4 cousins asked for the recipe and I'm sure they would have proposed marriage had we not already been related!!!!
These were awesome. I had plenty for left over lunches. I made the mistake of not reading the entire recipe before cooking and didn't realize the time involved. I will plan ahead in the future. It was about 2 hours w/ prep and cook time altogether.
All is true, all is true. These are better than any meat-filled pepper I've ever had. I save time by grating all the veg in my food processor--it's fast and makes for a nice homogenous texture in the filling. Tonight we left out the carrots and used zucchini and yellow squash instead. I've emailed the recipe to everyone I know--they're truly divine!
Delicious!!! I added raisins to the recipe for a little twist...big hit at our house!
When I tasted a little of the cheese I was worried that the peppers would be too spicy for me, but they were not - they were just delicious and beautiful to bring to the table in my 60s Dansk red enamel baking dish. I used red and yellow peppers and left the green stalk as in the picture. Instead of frozen I used a bag of fresh baby spinach, and reg. not reduced fat cheese (couldn't find it). Couldn't test how they stand up to freezing because everyone ate them all and cleaned the pan out with their bread. Yes, I too had leftover filling and baked it in a separate dish and it was also good alone. Thank you for a recipe I will make regularly from now on.
I'm not a vegetarian but loved this recipe! As others have mentioned, a lot of stuffing left over but froze it -- we'll see how it defrosts later. I added a little cayenne seasoning but other than that, recipe was good as is. My daughter added some tortilla chips.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. As a 40 year vegetarian, I can say that there are never too many excellent recipes.
I particularly like quinoa, a healthy grain that just abiout everyone does well with. It's especially healthy, too.
I just blogged about quinoa at my blog- Yogi Blog.
Karta Purkh singh Khalsa
Yogi Blog
http://www.yogiproducts.com/well-being/comments/summer-grains/
Just made them tonite and we loved them.
My husband is a definite meat eater but loved them.
A lot of effort but definitely worth it.
I will try to make veggie burgers out of the left over stuffing. great idea.
I love these so much. I couldn't find my magazine so I came online to get it...that's how much I love these.
These were OUTSTANDING. Yields alot more than the recipe says, it would be great over rice or in a potato bake.
my daughterin law made these and they are delicious...but what is quinoa and where do you buy it ?
The vegie/bean mixture is delicious on crunchy bread as a sandwich or used as a dip with tortilla chips.
I made these last night - nixed the celery and added roasted corn, ortega green chiles, cilantro and jalapeno. I would even add a little more quinoa in the future - up to 1 cup. Also, I didn't cook for the full hour - only about 25 minutes - and the peppers turned out perfect - a little soft yet still a little crunchy. Not mushy at all, which sometimes happens with stuffed peppers. Definitely making this again!
Fantastic! Quite hearty! Used shredded soy cheese, impressed my vegetarian and not vegan husband who usually craves some tofu, soy and TVP.
These are absolutely fantastic!! They freeze and reheat very well.
I just made these, and they are AMAZING. My husband was wondering why the recipe didn't include anything to make it spicy, but you don't need it at all! These are delicious as is. It was really easy too, and actually was the first time I ever made quinoa (I don't know how I went this long without quinoa, it has such a nice texture to it) Definitely going into regular rotation for dinner!
Don't know why I didn't try these sooner. Used fresh spinach, vegan pepper jack (Lisanatti Almond Jalapeno Jack Style from Whole Foods- it's gluten and soy free), and added some tabasco sauce to the mixture for a kick. Really delicious. Like others have noted these take quite a bit of time to prep.
These are fantastic! There are only two of us in the house, so my husband and I freeze about half of the filling for a quick weeknight meal later.
Maybe I missed out on a bunch of flavor, but I made the filling following the directions and steamed the peppers in the microwave. 4-6min in the microwave vs an hour in the oven.
Gloria, quinoa is a South American grain that was considered by the Incan Empire to be the 'mother of all grains.' I had to ask three employees of my grocery store if they had it before one knew what I was talking about. He pointed me to the organic / health foods aisle (near the rice and cous cous) where there were two varieties. The red quinoa variety is amazing in this recipe!!
An amazing recipe that I'll now be making regularly.
I added 1/4 cup fresh coriander and some hot sauce, and served it with a tbsp of tadziki on the side...
These are the best stuffed peppers we have ever had. Just enough heat from the pepper jack for a slight kick - even my 86 years young mother loved them! I followed the recipe exactly and really loaded up the peppers with stuffing. We will have these again and again.
These are great peppers. I made them with the quinoa the first time and they were good. I have since altered the recipe after having made this several times. I substituted the Quinoa for brown rice purely for financial reasons. I just cook the rice ahead of time and mix all the veggies with the cheese. I let it get all melty for about 5 to 10 minutes in a pan on the stove. Cumin always reminds me of tex-mex foods, so I leave out the carrots, celery and spinach and I add corn, mushrooms, black olives and use fresh tomatoes instead of canned. I add a little white wine in the bottom of the pan when it bakes too. They are sooo yummy.
Just made these last night and WOW! So great, I'll make these again for sure. My kids loved the stuffing so a great way to get them to eat their veggies. I added chopped mushrooms too.
I'm a young vegetarian, and my sister made these for christmas this year! So GOOD! There was left over stuffing, like everyone had said, but i ate it out of the pan like mac'ncheese (with not a lot of cheese at all, but way better!) Going to be making them again :)
This recipe is delicious! A friend made them for us while visiting and my husband discovered that the left over stuffing is delicious with a scrambled egg substitute.
The next time I make this recipe I will prepare the Quinoa earlier, then skip the simmering step to cook the quinoa. I felt the veggies got a bit mushy. Flavor was very good and this stuffing is excellant in an omelette.
These turned out amazing! I made them in the basement of my dorm and turned a lot of heads. I got all my ingredients from trader joes (under $15!), accidentally bought tomato sauce instead of tomatoes and cut the spinach in half. Because they keep so well, they are a great meal on-the-go for any gluten-free vegetarian in college! Probably the best food I've had in a year.
I've made many different stuffed pepper recipes, and this one has to be our favorite...BY FAR. They do take a bit of time to make, but it's totally worth it.
Love, love, LOVE this recipe! I thought I would never find something that tasted like one my mom used to make (with meat) and this recipe has topped it! My husband (a meat eater)asked for me to make it again soon before he had even finished dinner!!! I've already given the recipe to my mother and mother-in-law with instructions to try it as soon as they can.
These were surprisingly delicious! I was afraid they might be too "vegetable-y" for my family, but everyone loved them, even the non-vegetarians! I will make more next time to freeze, as it is a bit labor intensive, but well worth it! I used plain cheddar cheese, as my daughter is not big on spicy. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written. I too had plenty of stuffing and will try some of the ideas others have mentioned next time instead of way overstuffing the peppers!
Sooo good! The stuffing is fantastic and very tasty, perfect by itself too.
WOW, these were delicious. I already have a really great brown rice stuffed pepper recipe and was thrilled to find a veggie one using quinoa. I made the recipe vegan by omiting the cheese and also added some red pepper flakes to the mix since we love spicy food. I made this into 12 servings using 3 different colered peppers, since most people commented there was too much stuffing. Great presentation, left stems on just like the picture. Thanks for an awesome recipe!! The only request my husband had was to add corn next time. He didn't even notice that I omited the cheese in the stuffing. I added a slice of American to his and a vegan cheese slice to mine in the last few minutes of cooking as I do in my other stuffed pepper recipe. This will definitely be a staple in my kitchen.
At what point could you freeze this recipe? Before baking, or after, or either? Which would be best?
If I want to freeze this recipe, at what point is best to do it?
I am also interested when is the best time to freeze? Before you bake or freeze the peppers raw and then bake?
I make these quite regularly, often on a Sunday as lunch for the week. Last time I realised I didn't have any regular cheese on hand so melted in some Vegan cream cheese instead - turned them into a great vegan meal.
Great recipe. Add salt and seasoning like Mrs. Dash and you're good to go. I used cabbage because I didn't have spinach and it worked nicely, very mild flavor. Any cheese will do, I used colby/jack/chipotle pepper jack mix. I didn't have much tomato juice left after cooking but it wasn't dry. My first stuff pepper recipe and we're quite satisfied!
This is, by far, my most favorite vegan dish yet. I mixed red and white quinoa, added some organic canned corn, used 8oz of organic frozen chopped spinach and added yellow squash and zucchini alongside the carrot. Also, I squeezed in the juice of one lemon into the mix and for cheese, used Vegan rice cheese (mozz. and Cheddar). I only had 3 peppers but had enough to make 8 peppers easily! I highly recommend this dish considering I was not a fan of traditional stuffed peppers before!
We also love this dish. Once I forgot to buy black beans so I made an Italian version. I swapped the black beans for chick peas, used Italian spices instead of cumin, and Italian cheese mix instead of Jack cheese. Now I don't know which version we like better.
This recipe has become a staple in our house. Even the non-vegetarians love it! It is a bit labor intensive, but is well worth it. Froze the extra stuffed peppers after baking them, then thawed in the fridge, and baked or microwaved them and still delicious!
Delicious filling - nice complex flavors. I used vegetable broth instead of water, and 2 peppers instead of 4. The leftover stuffing is good on pasta.
Unlike most people here, I thought it was kind of bland, so next time I make it I'll have to add some seasonings. I skipped the cheese and that could be why. I think adding taco seasoning from Trader Joe's to the left over filling will make for some nice taco's. .
This is a fabulous recipe! It made enough for me to stuff 6 peppers, not 4! I added salt and pepper, as recommended, to my mixture before baking the peppers and also chopped up fresh spinach to save the time of squeezing out the water in frozen spinach.
These peppers are very delicious, and I had extra stuffing after to add to soups and wraps for fast meals! I also froze a couple and heating them in the oven on 200 degrees worked great. They did take me about 2 1/2 hours to make with baking time, probably because I am not the best chef in chopping & multitasking. I added a habanero pepper to the mix for extra spice and it worked great! Although I would recommend a jalapeno or poblano for those who don't like very spicy food. I thought it was helpful to turn on the broiler for the last five minutes in cooking - to achieve the brown crispiness of the pepper and cheese.
This is a fabulous recipe. I suggest using a vegetable broth instead of the 2 cups of water. This way there is no need for salt and pepper later. I used fresh chopped tomatoes (30 ounces) instead of canned and added garden cocktail juice to the pan. This is really worth trying.
Great recipe for my first taste of quinoa. I too made too much stuffing but will either eat on its own or use as a side dish. I froze most of it as there are only two of us at home. I will be trying red quinoa instead of regular the next time I make this....
My greek husband loves stuffed peppers, but I wanted to try a nonmeat version. Even though the flavors in this lean to the southwestern (and not medi), he LOVED it! We had way too much stuffing though, and I only needed 1 cup of water (the tomatoes and spinach released some liquid into the mix. I also threw an apple in (didn't have celery) which was a nice addition.
This was soo yummy! I used fire-roasted tomatoes and ended up being a hit! Will make this again :)
These are amazing! I use 1 1/2 tsp of cumin instead of 1 tbs. as I find it is too over powering.
I made a few personal changes but this was one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. My ex-girlfriend introduced me to quinoa (and vegetables) and we had made stuffed peppers with quinoa before. This recipe was perfect though. I replaced the tomatoes with homemade tomato sauce, and I used imported Parmesan cheese instead of pepper jack, and I poured a little red wine in the pan instead of tomato water.
I'm quite an avid meat eater, but I really love finding great vegetarian recipes. I love some of the leftover ideas too. I have quite a bit. I'll try the veggie burger and the quesedilla idea is great too.
I made these last night, half to eat now, and half to freeze. We have a baby coming in the next few weeks, and I've been stocking up on freezer recipes. I can't vouch for how well it freezes, but the recipes as-is is delicious! I tend to fiddle around with recipes, but I almost completely made this as is (except I mixed in all the cheese instead of 1c since it was being frozen).
I did have enough filling to fill another two halves, so I'm actually going to buy another pepper tomorrow and add it to the batch I already have cooled and ready to freeze. I'd go ahead and buy another pepper, this was enough to GENEROUSLY fill 4 peppers, and there might even be a tiny bit left over after the 5th.
I added quite a bit more spice (more cumin, more garlic, chili powder and s/p) and these were great. Definitely agree that more spice is needed but the combo of all these flavors together is perfect, and very healthy!
Oh man these were so perfect, I could eat these all day.
These sound amazing and the comments certainly seem to confirm that they're delicious, but holy MOLY is that fat content accurate? 10G of fat for a HALF A PEPPER?? And 518MG of sodium??!!
If you don't like peppers you could use zuchini and scoop out the center and mix it in with the stuffing ingredients. Or use some other squash like butternut or acorn and make two or three really large entrees.
Nicole: I am guessing the fat & sodium is from the cheese. I eliminated the cheese completely. I don't use very much added salt in general and used less than 1/4 teaspoon for the whole pot and it tasted just fine. If you feel you need the extra flavor from cheese, try reduced fat or soy cheese, and/or you don't have to add as much as the recipe says - try it as topping only instead of mixing a bunch in. Good luck!
Not that this recipe needs more great reviews...but it was amazing. I omitted the cheese and the oil and they were still incredibly filling! Yummers!
I don't think I've seen so many reviews for any other recipe on this site :-) These peppers are AMAZING!!!
They reheat well, are very healthy and filling, and the recipe makes a ton. They do take a bit of time, but they are worth it. My meat-eating boyfriend loves them, and its an easy way to make sure he is getting a good serving of veggies. Enjoy!
This recipe is AWESOME. It was my first time cooking with Quinoa and I'm hooked! I am proof that you don't have to be a vegetarian to love these peppers!
These are so good! Excellent with vegan cheese on top.
Absolutely wonderful dish! I made a few substitutions: zuchhini instead of celery, cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth insted of water, and added some crushed red pepper flakes. I also stuffed one portabella mushroom cap in addition to the peppers. The result- delicious! Note: this recipie makes enough to stuff 8 peppers, or you can stuff 4 and then freeze the rest. Also, it definately takes time to make, so give yourself a good 2 hours. Highly recommended!
awesome recipe!!! i'm usually unimpressed with most. this one was fantastic!!! i'm gluten free and this was perfect. filling and healthy and very flavorful. this would make a great meal even without the peppers. had a lot of the stuffing part left over and had it for lunch. took me about 2 hours to make as well. i could probably cut the time down now that i know how to make it.
I really enjoyed this recipe. I didn't have all of the veggies so I used what I had at home and made enough to last for several days for very little money. To cut the cooking time I partially cooked the peppers in the microwave by cutting them and heating them in a glass dish covered w/plastic wrap from about 3-5 minutes. Put a small amt of water in the bottom of the glass dish before microwaving. Then I baked them for about 15 min after adding the cooked stuffing.
As others have said, these are awesome. I will often stuff a tomato or two with the extra stuffing, which I think is even better than the peppers. For my son, who's not good with spicy food yet, I sometimes substitute mozzarella, and then just add some hot sauce on top for the adults. I usually do all the prep the night before and leave them in the fridge ready to go in the oven as soon as I get home from work.
These were great!!! I made and froze them a few days before my mom and co came for dinner, they re heated perfectly! The cheese was still stringy! To re heat them, I pre heated the oven to 200 Cel. and put the semi defrosted pepers in a baking tray with tin foil over top until they were hot. Then took the tin foil off and added some cheese and baked until the cheese had melted and the pepers browned a little bit!
I have made these a few times and they are just delicious. I never seem to tire of this recipe and easy to make too. I have sent to a few of my friends and they love it too! Vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike!
I just made these for dinner tonight. I used fresh kale instead of the spinach and amaranth in place of the quinoa. This is a keeper! The kale doesn't break down like frozen spinach would so it wasn't mushy. We skipped the cheese and didn't miss it.
WOW. I just made these for dinner. I am in love. Even my 3 year old loved them. They are not spicy at all. Delicious. The only thing I changed was the cooking time. I cut down to 30 minutes and I also added salt. I will definitely be making these again.
I LOVED this recipe! This was my first time cooking with quinoa so I wasn't sure how it would turn out but I couldn't be much happier!!! The only thing I changed was to cut down on the time the bell pepper needed to cook in the oven I boiled the halves for about 5 minutes then stuffed them and placed them back in the oven for the cheese to melt! Delish!!!
I cooked the quinoa and bean mix in my slow cooker!
I just tried the stuffed peppers and we loved them; lots of filling but great for leftovers. I did not follow the lengthy cooking instructions and the recipe was simply delicious. I covered the halved red peppers with water, brought them to a rolling boil and then took them off the heat while I made the filling. I bought Trader Joe's quinoa (frozen section) which already has onions, etc. mixed in. I added the spinach, tomatoes, black beans and grated carrots, together with cheese, zapped it in the microwave, filled the peppers and did not put it in the oven. It was still delicious and ready in 15 mins.
I tried to make this last night and utterly failed! The tops turned out burnt and underneath the tops it was way too watery. What did I do wrong? Does one need to squeeze the hell out that frozen spinach, if so wouldn't fresh spinach just be better in the first place? Help please!
To Virgetarian re: watery
Yes, when using frozen spinach, I soap up all extra liquid until none comes out anymore. I've used fresh spinach and works well too. Also make sure to keep simmering as long as needed in step 1.
I'm afraid I've never burned mine, so can't help with that.
These are fantastic usually, as I have made them time and again over the years.
This recipe was amazing! My husband and I ate this up. Can't wait to have it for lunch today at work!
This is a great tasting recipe. I use real pepper jack and not the low fat. I cut some corners with the steps by sauteing the onions, celery, carrots together, and then adding the garlic to saute for a few more minutes. I seasoned this with salt & pepper. When I added the tomatoes and spinach, I also seasoned them as well.
And yes, Virgetarian, squeeze that spinach and then squeeze it again. Also drain those tomatoes well.
awesime recipe - followed it as written to see how we liked it and was very pleased. With the spinach squeezed dry and the tomatoes well drained I didn't need to simmer for 5 minutes. That kept the veggies from getting too done, since there's plenty of cooking later in the recipe. I did increase the oven to 375 and cut the baking time back to 45 minutes - that also hastened the cheese-browning step - just needed about 8 minutes on that, for under an hour of total cook time. The peppers were cooked nicely with no burning. Can't wait to try making veggie burgers from the left over stuffing.
This recipe sounds amazing! I'm planning on making it for a party later on in the week. But what else do you serve with this? There are going to meat eaters at this party also. Any suggestions?
These were delicious. I just served them for dinner to a crowd of meat-eaters and they are so hearty that no one noticed that they were veg. My very picky husband doesn't like peppers, so I just baked some of the filling in a small dish for him and topped with cheese. I also used fresh chopped kale instead of frozen spinach. My tomatoes and kale were watery so I reduced the amount of water that was added with the quinoa. So so good.
I love bell peppers and when I saw this recipe I just had to try it! Also this quinoa ingredient grabbed my attention which made me even more interested to try it! I must say it was delicious! I love being able to make foods that taste great and are healthy too! Thanks a lot!
Excellent!!! I will most definitely make this again! I kept the cheese out to make it vegan and used 10 (to use up the extra quinoa mixture) small bell peppers of all colors. It was delicious and I'm very pleased!
SOOOOO GOOD!
I found this recipe forever ago, as much as all the prep time kills me (I hardly cook) I absolutely love these peppers. They are wildly addictive and besides being time consuming very easy to make. Being the only veggie in my family I do end up freezing a few of them. I haven't had amazing success with that as they reheat slighty mushy, but still rather good.
def too much stuffing for 4 peppers so i used 5 and it came out great....didnt have pepper jack so i used jack and cheddar....wasnt sure if i was gonna like it or not but to my surprise they are very tasty and great for a 'no meat nite' dinner
DO I cook the quinoa before or does it cook in the oven when I place the peppers in the oven?
I was wondering the same thing Katherine!!