Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed peppers with quinoa, ground beef, and vegetables makes the perfect healthy and delicious dinner!

What makes a bell pepper even more delicious? Stuff it with the best ingredients and bake!

I grew up with stuffed bell peppers always filled with rice. They were terrific and you can most definitely use rice with this recipe. However, I wanted to make it a bit healthier and lighter by using quinoa.

Now a stuffed pepper just isn’t complete without melted cheese. I used freshly grated parmesan cheese but get creative and try different ones for different flavor profiles.

Making This Dish

Try to find bell peppers that have a flat bottom. If not and they’re rounded you can try to flatten some once boiled, or cut length-wise and lie them flat to fill.

More Similar Recipes

If you're wanting more ideas for how to use your ground beef take a look here:

• Easy Taco Filling (3 ways)
• Cheeseburger Skillet Pizza
• Chili
• Hearty and Healthy Spaghetti

Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed peppers with quinoa, ground beef, and vegetables makes the perfect healthy and delicious dinner!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Beef, gluten free

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

• 1 cups cooked quinoa (½ cup uncooked. Option to use 1 cup cooked rice)
• 5 bell peppers (try to find ones with flat base)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups purple onion (1 onion)
• 2 tablespoon minced garlic cloves
• 1 lbs ground beef (option to use ground turkey)
• 1 cups chard diced
• ¼ cup no salt tomato paste
• 3 tablespoon no salt crushed tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon garlic granules
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ cups diced fresh parsley
• ½ cups Parmesan cheese (+ additional for on top. Option to use mozzarella or gouda cheese)

Instructions

 

Prep the Quinoa and Bell Peppers

• Cook quinoa per instructions on package (½ cup raw quinoa to 1 ½ cups water). If replacing with rice cook following my recipe for fluffy rice while removing the most arsenic.
• Cut off tops of bell peppers about ½ inch below stem. Remove seeds, ribs, stem. Save tops of bell pepper pieces removed from the stem, dice, and set aside.
• In a sauce pan add water (about 3 inches deep). Place bell peppers upside down in water (open end down). Bring to a boil and boil for about 15 minutes, drain water and set aside.

  While bell peppers boil, make the filling.

Make the Filling

• Preheat oven to 350℉. If using toaster oven, no need to preheat.
• Prepare all vegetables. Set aside the onion, garlic, and diced bell pepper in one bowl, and the chard in another.

  Shred cheese and set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, and leftover diced bell pepper (from tops) for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Add ground beef to saucepan with sautéed vegetables and break apart beef with spatula. Add chard. Cook for 10 more minutes covered, decreasing heat as needed to medium-low.
• Decrease skillet temperature to low and add tomato paste and and crushed tomatoes. Add all seasonings and fresh parsley. Cook for another 20 minutes.
• Turn off skillet heat and add shredded Parmesan cheese, stir in.

  Add in cooked quinoa and combine.

Filling the Bell Peppers

• Remove bell peppers from water and place in a large baking dish (I used an 11 cup Pyrex: 9 x 7 x 3 inches). Press down gently to flatten bottoms some if they're not already so it can stand up, or lie them down if cut length-wise.
• Fill peppers with mixture and pack it in using a spoon. Large bell peppers: about 1 cup of filling, smaller bell peppers: about ¾ of filling.

  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top (about 2 tablespoons per pepper).
• Bake at 350℉ for 8-10 minutes, then increase temp to 400℉ for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is browned to your liking.

  Conventional Oven: use middle rack

  Convection Oven: use bottom rack

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