Do you ever go to the grocery store to do your weekly shopping trip, but have no clue what you actually want to cook that week? Yeah, that was me this past weekend. I spent a good 15 minutes just wandering around the produce section thinking about what I was going to cook this week. Then I spotted a big basket of bright red bell peppers and I immediately had a craving for stuffed peppers. As usual, I wanted to make them healthy, so instead of using the usual rice, I used my beloved quinoa. These stuffed red peppers were packed full of flavor and my favorite part was that the top layer got all nice and crispy with that melted cheese!

Quinoa Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Serves 6

Ingredients:

– 1 cup uncooked quinoa

– 2 cups water

– 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drain and reserve liquid

– 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

– 2 garlic cloves, minced

– 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

– 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

– 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded

– 6 red bell peppers

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sauce pan, heat 2 cups of water and add quinoa. Let cook for approximately 15 minutes or until quinoa is tender and water is absorbed. Set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions and garlic and cook for three minutes until onion is translucent and tender. Add diced tomatoes and black beans. Cook for 3 minutes. Add in cooked quinoa and combine with tomato and bean mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Rinse peppers, cut off tops and remove seeds and ribs. Scoop about 3/4 of cup of the quinoa mixture into each pepper and place in a baking dish. Pour liquid from the tomato can into the dish around the peppers. Cover with foil and cook for approximately 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle evenly with pepper jack cheese and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle pan drippings over each pepper and serve!

Notes: Want more veggies? Try adding some sauteed mushrooms, spinach, or carrots!

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