Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed peppers with quinoa, ground beef, and vegetables makes the perfect healthy and delicious dinner!
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!