Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Vegan)
Looking for a healthy, veggie filled dinner that doesn’t skimp on the protein and healthy carbs! Then be sure to try this fun and colorful Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Peppers recipe!
It’s easy to put together and tastes as good as it looks.
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Ingredients for Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are crucial for this recipe as it is a stuffed peppers recipe and bell peppers are the most mild and usually the largest (not longest) pepper that’s widely available. If you don’t have bell peppers you could use the filling portion of this recipe for a stuffed squash recipe instead.
Oil: Some type of oil is crucial for the cooking method we use in this recipe. I prefer to use olive oil. If you need to omit the oil for health, or any, reasons then boil the empty bell peppers, instead of pre-baking them, for a few minutes and dry them completely before filling.
Salt: Like oil, if pre-baking the bell peppers as the directions advise you to, then salt is needed to help soften the bell peppers. If you need to omit salt, then boil the empty bell peppers in place of pre-baking them.
Quinoa: Quinoa is a main ingredient in this recipe and shouldn’t be substituted for anything, however if you need to, then brown rice, or another type of rice, would be a good substitute.
Veggie Broth: The veggie broth is used to cook the quinoa in to give it a little more flavor. If trying to save money then feel free to replace the veggie broth with water.
Onion & Garlic: These are used for flavoring, if you don’t have fresh then you can use powdered, but it also adds a little bit of bulk to the filling, so you may not be able to make as many stuffed peppers if you omit this, or the peppers may not be as full.
Black Beans: Black beans help add additional protein, flavor, and bulk to the filling. Feel free to substitute for another type of bean like kidney beans.
Corn: Corn gives this recipe a bit more sweetness and bulk.
Salsa: Salsa provides flavor, bulk, and a little bit of liquid. Use store bought or feel free to use my favorite salsa recipe.
Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast provides B12 and a cheesy flavor. Feel free to omit, but it makes it taste better!
Spices: We like to use chili, cumin, and paprika. These can be adjusted in amount to your own preferences.
Vegan Cheese & Green Onions: These are totally optional, but again, make it taste better and makes it look more impressive. I’ve never tried a liquid vegan mozzarella, like Miyoko has, but I bet that would probably work great on this!
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Peppers
*Note that these instructions can be printed below
Step one: Preheat oven to 400℉
Step two: Brush olive oil inside and outside of peppers, place in a casserole dish, and sprinkle salt over them.
Step three: Bake peppers for 20 minutes, then carefully dump out any liquid.
Step four: Cook quinoa in the veggie broth (bring to a boil, then simmer until all liquid is absorbed) and then place in a mixing bowl.
Step five: Saute onion and garlic until translucent, add to quinoa.
Step six: Add salsa, corn, beans, and spices/nutritional yeast to the quinoa mixture and stir well.
Step seven: Fill the peppers to the top with the quinoa mixture, then add the shredded vegan cheese.
Step eight: Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the vegan cheese is as melted as it’ll get.
Step nine: Top with green onions if desired, then allow to cool before eating.
How to Store Stuffed Peppers
Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the oven, air fryer, or microwave.
FAQs
- Can I cut the peppers in half instead of cutting the tops off?
- Yes you can! Just know this recipe was developed by cutting the tops off the peppers, which gives more room inside the pepper and larger serving sizes. When cutting the peppers in half, the filling will be enough to stuff about 8 half peppers (4 whole peppers cut in half) and will fit well in a 13X9 baking dish..
- Do I have to pre-cook the bell peppers before adding the stuffing?
- You don’t have to, but the peppers may be a bit crispier if you don’t. Also, adding the salt to the peppers during the pre-cook stage helps with adding moisture to the peppers by bringing out some of the natural water inside of them.
- Can I boil the peppers instead of pre-cooking them in the oven?
- Yes. To do this, get the water boiling first and then place the peppers in and allow to boil for 2-3 minutes. Then be sure to allow them to dry completely before stuffing them and cooking them in the oven.
- Do I need to cover the peppers while they cook?
- Nope, no covering required for the peppers in the oven.
- How long do these peppers last in the fridge?
- They last about 3-4 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven at the same temperature and time as originally cooked in the recipe..
More Quinoa Recipes You’ll Love
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Shawna ClapperEquipment
- Baking Dish (8X8 for 4 peppers, 9X13 for 6 peppers)
- Medium sized pot with cover
Ingredients
- 4-6 Bell peppers top cut off and seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Quinoa
- 1 cup Veggie Broth or Water
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 can Black Beans
- 1 can Corn
- ½ cup Salsa
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast optional
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
Toppings
- Shredded Vegan Cheese
- Green Onion chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉
- Brush olive oil inside and outside of peppers, place in a casserole dish, and sprinkle salt over them.
- Bake peppers for 20 minutes, then carefully dump out any liquid.
- Cook quinoa in the veggie broth (bring to a boil, then simmer until all liquid is absorbed) and then place in a mixing bowl.
- Saute onion and garlic until translucent, add to quinoa.
- Add salsa, corn, beans, and spices/nutritional yeast to the quinoa mixture and stir well.
- Fill the peppers to the top with the quinoa mixture, then add the shredded cheese.
- Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the vegan cheese is as melted as it’ll get.
- Top with green onions if desired, then allow to cool before eating.
Notes
Feel free to add more or less of the spices per your preference.
*The nutritional yeast is optional, but brings a cheesy flavor to the mixture.
