I am beyond joyous to share this post with you. These stuffed peppers have become one of my favorite dishes to make and I have finally perfected my own recipe. Originally inspired by all the fresh produce at the farmers markets in New York City this past summer, I began with Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. Then I learned what worked best for me after a couple of times of experimenting, well, mostly just using what I had in my fridge.
Check out the bubbly, crispy melted cheese on top of this beauty of a stuffed pepper. Once you cut into the center, you’ll find a salty and spicy filling with tender veggies and more gooey cheese. Paired with a meat or protein, or simply enjoyed by themselves, these peppers work great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Next time I’d like to add a fried egg after cutting the pepper in half and top with some chives for color.
Here’s what you’ll need to get started. Like I said, I change-up this recipe frequently depending on what’s in my fridge. Since it’s a meatless dish, I like the quinoa because it really keeps me full.
Quinoa and Veggie Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 medium sized bell peppers (either red or green)
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa (couscous works too)
- Chicken broth or water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1 yellow squash, sliced
- several big handfuls of spinach
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup marinara sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha
- 2 tablespoon feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons of grated mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook quinoa according to package.
- Cut the top of the pepper off and remove seeds and pit. If the pepper is wobbly, slice a little bit of the bottom legs off to keep it flat. Place peppers standing up in baking dish. Roast the peppers for 15 minutes so they can soften.
- While peppers are cooking, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and squash. Cook for 5 minutes or until veggies are softened. Add spinach and sautee until wilted.
- Scoop veggie mixture into a medium bowl. Add cooked quinoa, tomatoes, marinara, sriracha, feta and a sprinkle of the mozzarella. Mix together.
- Once peppers are softened, remove from oven. Scoop veggie and quinoa mixture into peppers and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Broil for a few minutes once done cooking for an extra bubbly cheese topping. Enjoy!
The video above shows a little behind the scenes of the making of these peppers. While the peppers turned out perfect in the end, things certainly don’t always go smoothly. [Cue dropping plates.] Once these babies come out of the oven though, the gooey filled center makes everything right.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela
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