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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are a simple and delicious plant-based dinner made with seasonal spring produce: asparagus, leeks, onions and garlic! Leftovers are great for lunch too!
Vegetarian, Vegan Option, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Soy Free, Egg Free
A few weeks ago I took a pizza making class at my friend’s bachelorette party — so fun, highly recommend it! In between stuffing my face with doughy, warm, straight-from-the-oven pizza, I helped make a couple of other dishes.
Among them was farro-stuffed bell peppers, with caramelized onions and fennel. If you don’t know fennel, it kinda of tastes like licorice, which is pretty much a love it or hate it kind of flavor [I LOVE it!]. If you love it, I also use it in my Spring Raspberry Salad! But since the flavor can be intense for some, I wanted to switch it up a bit in this recipe…
I re-created the stuffed peppers I ate at the bachelorette party withALL of the deliciousness I thought was in the original, but to appeal to the masses…because, ya knowwwww.
Since it’s passover, I also wanted to give ya’ll a KFP #MeatlessMonday meal!
And just a side note on Passover, if I may…If your approach to Passover is like a low-carb diet, I’m sorry to say, friends, you’re doing it all wrong! Instead of looking as the 8 (long) days as a gluten-free trial, think of all the foods you can work with…like quinoa!
Quinoa is a versatile grain (actually a seed!) that’s easy to cook and delicious (if you cook it properly!). It’s one of my main pantry staples.
So try these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers…
I think stuffing anything is a super fun way to eat dinner (or lunch for that matter). And when it comes to the table in under an hour (with only 10-15 minutes hands-on time), that’s a win! I’m just trying to make your life easier…
All you have to do is saute some veggies — and feel free to improvise with whatever you find at the farmers market — add the quinoa, stuff, and bake.
You may also enjoy my Bean Burger Stuffed Sweet Potatoes or Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!
Here’s what you need for these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers…
Spring produce takes centerstage for this stuffed pepper recipe. Did you know that eating in-season produce means you’ll also be getting even more nutrients than if you were to eat the same fruit or vegetable out of season? Fact.
You can get creative using any produce you have on hand, but these are the key ingredients I used:
Asparagus – The quintessential spring ingredient! They’re full of PREBIOTIC fiber to fill you up. Asparagus are also a natural diuretic, so they’re great to eat if you’re feeling bloated.
Leeks – A cousin of the onion, leeks have a milder flavor that’s a tad sweet.
Onions – Believe it or not, white vegetables do impart a hefty nutritious punch!
Quinoa – This whole grain (OK, it’s actually a seed) is a complete PROTEIN and full of fiber. You can substitute any other grain you have on hand including farro, buckwheat, sorghum, kamut, bulgur, etc.
Other recipes with QUINOA you may enjoy:
- 10-Minute Italian Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Dairy Free Greek Quinoa Salad
- Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad
- Vegan BLT Quinoa Bowls
These Spring Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are…
- Easy to make with little hands-on time
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Food allergy friendly
- Full of fiber
- A fun twist to enjoy vegetables
- Full of in-season, spring produce
Let’s get stuffed…
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium to large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 15 asparagus spears, roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 cupsquinoa, cooked
- 4 bell peppers
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped and divided
- Optional: parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- While the oven is preheating, saute garlic, onion, and leeks in olive oil over medium-high heat. Be careful not to burn the garlic!
- When onions become translucent, add the asparagus. Continue to saute until all veggies are softened, but not mushy, about 7 minutes depending on the size of your chop.
- Add pepper, salt and chili flakes. Turn off the heat.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add quinoa and the veggie saute. Mix to combine, adding half of the parsley. Set aside.
- To prepare the peppers, cut lengthwise and remove the stem, seeds, and ribs. (see picture above).
- Stuff the quinoa and veggie mixture into the peppers so it domes above the rim of the pepper. We want these to be full!
- Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with leftover parsley, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Have you ever taken a cooking class and actually made something from the class after?
Happy Monday!
XO
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Share Your Thoughts
Stuffed peppers are SO good! I hadn’t had peppers in the longest time and recently re-discovered them. Will definitely be making stuffed peppers soon 🙂
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They’re definitely one of my favorite weeknight dinners! So easy! Enjoy!
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Love this idea. I always make way more quinoa than I’d eat at once. This is a great second day meal option to also use up extra veggies!
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Thanks Marisa! I always make a huge batch of quinoa in the beginning of the week and use it all week! Enjoy!
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So fresh and so so good!
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These stuffed peppers are the perfect Vegetarian dish for me to make for my family – thanks for sharing it!
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I hope you and your family enjoy!
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Love using quinoa salads to stuff peppers, acorn squash bowls, zucchini boats… This is perfect for Passover too!
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Quinoa’s so versatile! (And I had to post something KFP too!!).
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