Use our quinoa-stuffed peppers recipe for a satisfying and healthy vegetarian meal. Baked peppers are filled with black beans, quinoa and Parmesan cheese in this wonderfully savory, gluten-free recipe.
Recipe yields 8 servings
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13 x 9–inch glass baking pan with parchment paper.
In a saucepan, cook the quinoa in the water for 15 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.
On a flat work surface, with a sharp knife, cut the tops off 8 bell peppers. Remove the cores and seeds without cutting through peppers. Arrange the cored peppers, standing upright, in the prepared baking pan.
Chop the remaining bell pepper. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the black beans, chopped bell pepper, carrot, celery, onion, garlic, water chestnuts, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft and mixture is heated through, about 7 minutes. Stir in the cooked quinoa, peas and tomato sauce.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese into the bottom of each pepper. Fill peppers with the quinoa mixture. Sprinkle the tops of the stuffed peppers with the Monterey Jack cheese.
Bake the peppers for 30 minutes, covered with foil. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more, or until peppers are softened and browned. Sprinkle with hot sauce, if using. Serve immediately.