Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
These Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are so good and good for you! Packed with plant-based protein, flavorful veggies and topped with melted cheese. A healthy and naturally gluten-free dinner recipe.
I love this hearty dinner — stuffed peppers with quinoa, black beans, zucchini, corn and salsa. Topped with cheese and baked until hot and bubbly, it’s my kind of one-pot dinner.
If you love stuffed peppers, then you’ll love this Southwestern-inspired version. Similar to my stuffed zucchini recipe, with a mixture of beans, corn and plenty of spices.
These are so good and easily vegan using dairy-free cheese. See below for more details and tips for success, or scroll down to the bottom for the full recipe.
Ingredient Notes
These stuffed peppers are adaptable based on what kind of veggies you have.
I cook the quinoa in vegetable broth for added flavor, but you can also cook it in water if you don’t have any broth. I swear by this broth concentrate so that I always have broth on hand!
Since it’s the peak of summer, I’m using fresh corn from the cob as I find that fresh corn tastes so much better than canned or frozen. However, in a pinch you can use frozen– I like the charred frozen corn from Trader Joe’s.
You can use any salsa you’d like for these quinoa stuffed peppers, I’m partial to my homemade canning salsa for this one, but you can also use salsa verde or even my creamy blender salsa for a smokier flavor.
How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Roast the peppers
Soften the peppers slightly in the oven first by coating them with a thin layer of olive oil, and then baking until just tender. This helps the peppers cook through once stuffed.
Make the filling
Cook the quinoa until tender. Saute the onion, zucchini, and corn until softened and tender. Add in the spices, then fold in the quinoa and black beans.
Stuff the Peppers
Add to the softened peppers and top with shredded cheese.
Bake
Bake until hot and bubbly.
Tips for Success
I find the cooking the peppers slightly before stuffing ensures that your peppers are cooked all the way through, but not mushy.
The filling is already cooked before being added to the peppers, you just need to warm it and melt the cheese. I also recommend tasting the filling before adding to the peppers so make sure it’s properly seasoned.
You can use any cheese you want on these; I like a Mexican blend or pepperjack cheese if you want a spicier pepper. However, you can also use dairy-free cheese for a vegan version.
More One-Pot Summer Dinners
- Sausage and Pepper Skillet Dinner
- Potato and Chorizo Tacos
- Spicy Chickpea, Broccoli and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner
- Instant Pot Lentil Tacos
If you make these quinoa stuffed peppers, make sure to come back to leave a rating and a comment. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 large bell peppers, halved (from top to bottom, seeds removed)
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 2 corn on the cob, kernels removed (or 1 cup frozen corn)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 15 ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup salsa of choice
- 1 1/2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese or Mexican cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle.
- Place the peppers in a 9×13-inch casserole dish, cut side up, in the baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Roast the peppers for 15-20 minutes, until slightly browned and tender-crisp. You may see a bit of liquid in the bottoms of the peppers, and that's okay.
- While the peppers are cooking, cook the quinoa. Combine the quinoa and broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam, covered, for another 2 minutes.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, zucchini and corn and cook until the oil and zucchini have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, for another 2 minutes. Add the black beans and salsa and warm through another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked quinoa and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Divide the quinoa and bean mixture into the peppers and cover with the remaining shredded cheese. Place back in the oven and cook another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and peppers are hot. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and serve.