Filling and delicious, these southwestern-flavored quinoa stuffed peppers are the perfect meatless Monday meal. Bell peppers are stuffed with a mildly spicy mixture of quinoa, black beans, sweet corn, and Mexican cheese and baked to fork-tender.
If you’re a fan of southwestern flavors, check out my other recipes for Southwestern Taco Skillet, White Chicken Chili, and this tasty Tamale Pie.
I love the flavors of the southwest. Bold and earthy with just a little bit of heat, they make for a seriously tasty dinner. You know what else I love? A delicious, hearty, colorful stuffed pepper loaded with everything you need in a meal. These stuffed bell peppers hit both marks. Filled to the brim with black beans, veggies, protein-rich quinoa, and a glorious blend of herbs and spices, these meatless mains are the perfect all-in-one meal. You have to give them a try!
Why You’ll Love My Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- A hearty vegetarian main. These stuffed bell peppers are filling and a complete meal despite having no meat in them. It’s our Meatless Monday fave!
- Loaded with southwestern flavor. I love the flavors of the Southwest packed into bell peppers. Black beans, sweet corn, Mexican cheese, and a little heat, what’s not to love?
- Great for meal prep. These stuffed peppers are a perfect make-ahead meal. They store well and reheat nicely. Make a big batch, store them in the fridge or freezer, and pop one in the microwave when you’re ready for a quick, easy lunch or dinner.
Recipe Ingredients
Colorful bell peppers, black beans, corn, and tomatoes are just a few simple ingredients you’ll need to make these easy quinoa stuffed peppers.
- Butter – The butter is used to grease the baking dish. You could use non-stick cooking spray instead.
- Bell peppers – I like using an assortment of colors, but use any color of bell peppers you like.
- Vegetable broth – Chicken broth or beef broth would also work.
- Quinoa – Feel free to swap the quinoa out for rice cooked per the package’s instructions.
- Olive oil – Used for sauteing the veggies.
- Yellow onion – You could use a red or white onion instead. Shallots would also work.
- Salt – To enhance the flavors of the filling.
- Canned sweet corn – Adds texture and freshness to the dish.
- Black beans – If you like, you can use pinto beans or even chickpeas instead.
- Grape tomatoes – Canned tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or diced Roma tomatoes would also work.
- Seasoning – I use a delicious mixture of cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley (or cilantro), salt, and fresh ground black pepper.
- Shredded 4-Cheese Mexican Blend – Shredded cheddar cheese would also do the trick.
- Plain yogurt or light sour cream for serving.
How to Make Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Here’s a quick overview of how to make these stuffed peppers with quinoa. It’s relatively easy – cut the peppers in half, cook the quinoa and aromatics, stuff the peppers, and bake!
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grease a baking dish with butter. Arrange the halved bell peppers cut side up on the baking dish.
- Cook the quinoa. Combine vegetable broth and quinoa in a small saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
- Make the filling. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt, and saute until translucent. Add the corn and beans and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in grape tomatoes, cooked quinoa, and seasonings.
- Make it cheesy. Stir in 1 cup of cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat.
- Stuff the peppers. Pack an equal amount of filling into each pepper.
- Bake. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve. Allow the stuffed peppers to cool for 5 minutes, top each with a dollop of plain yogurt or light sour cream, and serve.
Tips For Success
- Rinse the quinoa. Quinoa can be bitter. Rinsing it before cooking will help get rid of that bitterness.
- Fluff the quinoa. Don’t forget to fluff your quinoa with a fork before making the filling. Otherwise, it will clump together.
- Stuff liberally. When stuffing the peppers, make sure you get the filling into every nook and cranny.
- Don’t overcook the peppers. If you cook the bell peppers for too long, they will get soggy. So bake them just until they are fork-tender, then remove them from the oven.
Serving Suggestions
One of these stuffed peppers really is a complete meal in and of itself, but you can absolutely serve yours with a side or two if you’d like. I enjoy mine with a nice Green Goddess Salad and a cup of soup, such as my Broccoli Potato Soup. Craving some extra veggies? Cook up a batch of Crispy Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli or Oven Roasted Asparagus.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- To store. Once the peppers have cooled to room temperature, seal them in a single layer in an airtight container. They will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the stuffed peppers to thaw in the fridge (if applicable) before arranging them in a single layer in a baking dish, covering them with aluminum foil, and baking at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until warm. You could also reheat individual stuffed peppers in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warm.
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes To Try
There are so many ways to do stuffed peppers. Here are some of my other favorite renditions. Let me know which is your favorite!
- butter, for the baking dish
- 4 bell peppers, halved longwise and cleaned
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup canned sweet corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ½ tablespoon dried parsley, you can also use cilantro
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded 4-Cheese Mexican Blend, divided
- plain yogurt or sour cream, for serving
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Preheat oven to 375˚F.
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Grease a baking dish with butter, arrange the halved bell peppers in the baking dish, and set aside.
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In a small saucepan, combine the vegetable broth and quinoa and bring to a boil; lower to a simmer, cover, and continue to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, gently fluff with a fork, and set aside.
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Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions and season with salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until translucent.
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Stir in the corn and beans; continue to cook for 2 minutes.
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Stir in the tomatoes and cooked quinoa; season with cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste it and add more of the spices and seasonings if needed.
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Add 1 cup shredded cheese, mix well, and continue to cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the cheese is melted.
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Remove from heat and divide the mixture evenly between all the peppers, packing the quinoa mixture tightly into the hollow pepper shells.
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Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
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Remove from oven and top each pepper with remaining cheese.
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Put back in the oven and continue to bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
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Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream on top.
Calories: 275 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6 g | Cholesterol: 17 mg | Sodium: 398 mg | Potassium: 496 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 2304 IU | Vitamin C: 81 mg | Calcium: 354 mg | Iron: 2 mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
