It’s definitely been a busy week around my house. From Father’s day to graduation ceremonies, small errands and appointments, I feel as though I haven’t had much time to dedicate to myself, let alone this blog! Let’s just say my meals haven’t been all that exciting (or have been eaten too quickly to be captured in a picture) and DIY projects are non-existent.
Much to my delight, yesterday was completely quiet so I managed to get some grocery shopping done with my mom. I needed to purchase ingredients since I had volunteered to cook dinner! I was pleasantly surprised when red peppers were on sale at Longos! The idea of creating stuffed peppers, something I have always admired, instantly popped into my mind!
This recipe is not only simple and affordable but it takes very little time! Prior to yesterday, I had never even tried stuffed peppers as I thought the preparation would be much too tricky. Boy was I wrong! This recipe is an all round win for a busy weeknight dinner and can be easily converted into a main dish with the addition of nuts or cheese! It’s also vegetarian!
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Makes 12, Half Pepper Servings
- ½ cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
- ¼ cup bell pepper, finely chopped
- 6 bell peppers, whole
- ½ cup parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1 ½ cups baby spinach, shredded
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. olive oil for sautéing
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa cooked according to package in low-sodium soup broth
- Optional: To make this into a complete meal, try adding ½ cup of slivered almonds and ½ cup crumbled feta.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- Remove the stem and seeds from the bell peppers, slice in half lengthwise and place aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While stirring, add onion and cook until transparent (approximately 6 minutes). Add in carrots, chopped peppers and parsley and cook until slightly softened. If using nuts, stir in now. Add in spinach, ginger, cumin and cinnamon cooking until the spinach is barely wilted.
- Slowly add the cooked quinoa into the sautéed vegetables, being careful as all the ingredients are extremely hot.
- Spoon quinoa mixture evenly into bell pepper halves, filling them to the edge of the pepper. Pack down the mixture ever so slightly. If using, sprinkle the cheese evenly onto the top of the pepper halves.
- Place the peppers onto the prepare baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes or until the peppers are tender and juicy and a knife inserted in the filling comes out hot.
- Transfer to plates, serve and enjoy!
Note: If you have extra filling feel free to cook it in a casserole dish using the same temperature and time.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as my family did. I’d say my first time making stuffed peppers was a success given I had never even eaten stuffed peppers before!! They are a delicious, filling, light warm meal perfect for summertime! I look forward to trying flavour, spice and grain variations in the future. ♥ Molly
Fun Fact: Did you know that Red Bell Peppers contain about ten times as much beta carotene as green or yellow bell peppers? Personally I like red bell peppers the most because they have the sweetest flavour!
The Happiness Recipe 