Smokey Beans & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Total Time
Ready in 1 hour
by Katie Mae, PlantzSt.com
Ingredients
- ½ small onion, diced (3 ounces)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ½–1 teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (6 ounces)
- 1 cup water
- 15 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes, no salt added
- 2 cups cooked black beans (12 ounces)
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 5 cups baby spinach (2.5 ounces)
- 4 large red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
Directions
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Cut tops off peppers and discard the seeds. Feel free to save the tops and roast them with the dish.
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Add the onions, garlic, and spices to a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Dry-sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Add the quinoa, water, and fire-roasted tomatoes and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.
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Transfer the quinoa to a large mixing bowl. Add the black beans, nutritional yeast, and spinach. Mix well.
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Generously stuff the peppers with quinoa mixture until all peppers are full. Place the tops back on the peppers and then cover the dish with foil.
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Bake for 30 minutes covered. Then remove the foil andincrease heat to 400°F. Bake for 15more minutes or until peppers are soft and slightly golden brown. For softer peppers, bake for an extra 5 to 10 minutes.
Recipe Note
Parboil the peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes to cut the cooking time in half. To parboil: add the peppers to a large pot of boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.
Red, orange, or yellow bell peppers are the best choice for this recipe, because they are sweeter than green bell peppers.