Quinoa & Beef Stuffed Peppers

These bell peppers are stuffed with nutritious blend of quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, corn and extra-lean ground beef. In less than an hour you can have a healthy and delicious meal that’s packed with protein and fiber. 

I’ve been on a bit of a health kick over the last couple weeks. Trying new, recipes that are both delicious and healthy can be quite the task. But it’s all in the ingredients!

I’ve made stuffed peppers before, but I used rice and ground beef. This time I wanted to try the same dish, but use the super-food of quinoa as the base for the filling (I used a mixture of white and red quinoa).

Not only is quinoa gluten-free, it’s an excellent source of protein,antioxidants and omega-3. To cook quinoa, you’ll use a 2:1 ratio of water. It’s important to rinse your quinoa beforehand using a fine mesh strainer, because it tends to have a slightly bitter coating. After you cook it in a covered saucepan you’ll have nice and fluffy dish after about 15 minutes.

When it comes to the peppers, you can try experimenting by slicing them lengthwise, instead of just slicing off the tops. Depending on the type of pepper you use, it might stand up better in the baking dish while it’s in the oven. But if you’re slicing off the tops like I did, you can always just take a sliver off the bottom using a knife so that it stands upright. I used baby bell peppers and a small baking dish, so I didn’t have to worry about them tipping over.

This meal was so delicious! I couldn’t even wait the 30 minutes for the stuffed peppers to be finished baking before gobbling up the extra quinoa-beef mixture I had left over in the pot! I rounded out the filling with extra-lean ground beef, black beans (yay, fiber!), tomatoes, corn and some cilantro to give it that Southwestern/Mexican vibe. If you have any dietary restrictions, you can easily turn this into a vegetarian dish by omitting the beef from the recipe.

Another great thing about this dish (besides the obvious health benefits) is that it freezes really well. After each stuffed pepper had cooled down, I just wrapped it in parchment paper and foil and tossed them individually into my freezer. When I want a quick dinner I just put one in the oven at 275°F for about 15 minutes to heat up.

Monique Creary

Yields 6

Quinoa & Beef Stuffed Peppers

These bell peppers are stuffed with nutritious quinoa, black beans, tomatoes, corn and extra-lean ground beef. In less than an hour you can have a healthy and delicious meal that's packed with protein and fiber. Makes a great left-over dish.

20 minPrep Time

30 minCook Time

50 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

6 medium-sized bell peppers (any colour)

200g extra lean ground beef

1 small onion

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 cup raw quinoa

1 tomato (chopped)

1/2 cup corn (frozen or canned)

1/2 cup black beans (canned)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 jalapeño (finely diced)

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup grated cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook covered for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers (about 1/2-inch from the stem side). Remove the seeds and membranes (feel free to dice the pepper tops and add them to the stuffing mixture later on). Add peppers to the pot and boil for 3 minutes. Promptly drain and rinse the peppers under cold water, and set aside to cool.
3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add in the chopped onions and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes until translucent. Add in the minced garlic and continue cooking for one minute more.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Add in the paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir in the corn, chopped tomatoes, jalapeño and black beans and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the cooked quinoa and the cilantro, stir for a couple minutes more, and then remove from heat.
5. Fill each bell pepper with the quinoa-beef mixture and place in a 9x13-inch baking dish (add a couple tablespoons of water with a few drops of oil to the baking dish to help prevent the peppers from sticking).
6. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top the stuffed peppers with some grated cheddar cheese in the last 5 minutes of cooking if desired.

Notes

Keep in mind that, like rice, quinoa doubles in size when cooked. Follow the package directions and use 1 cup of uncooked quinoa to make about 2 cups of cooked.

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