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Jughandle's Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

The crunch of the pepper with the mouth texture of the quinoa and the spice of the tomato mixture provide depth of flavor in this dish. Texture and spice are hard to find in any dish. For a whole meal serve with a cold tossed salad. This recipe is an original Fat Farm creation. Let me know what you think. – jug
Course Dinner, First Course, Main Course
Cuisine American, Vegetarian
Keywords Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Protein Tofu
Cooking Method Baking
Hot/Cold Dish Hot
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Author jughandle

What You Will Need:

Ingredients
  • 4 bell peppers - Large peppers, use multiple colors
  • 3/4 cup Quinoa - uncooked pre-rinsed variety which has the hull or saponins removed.
  • 1 cup Onion - 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/2 Cup Carrots - chopped smallish
  • 1/2 cup celery - 2 ribs finely chopped
  • 1 T ground cumin - or 1/2 T cumin seeds
  • 2 cloves garlic - 2 tsp minced
  • 1 cup tofu - extra firm cut into cubes
  • 1 lb spinach - fresh blanched and squeezed dry
  • 10 oz Diced tomatoes & green chilies - can of RoTel brand
  • 15 oz kidney beans - can
  • 4 T Tomato Spread - See recipe

Method:

Stuffed Pepper Method:

    Blanch Spinach:

    • Bring a large pot of water (1 to 2 qt) to a boil. Put spinach into boiling water for 30 sec. then remove and quickly place in cold water to stop the cooking process. Reserve.

    Cook Quinoa:

    • Rinse the grain briefly in cold water.  Cook as you would rice.  One cup of grain for 2 cups of water or other flavored liquid, such as stock or even vegetable juice.  
    • Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook 10 -15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed.

    Make The Stuffing:

    • Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 additional minute. Stir in spinach and RoTel brand tomatoes & green chilies (reserve juice). Cook 5-10 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
    • Stir in kidney beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup crumbled extra firm tofu. Season with salt and pepper.

    Assemble And Bake:

    • Preheat oven to 350°
    • Pour reserved tomato liquid into bottom of baking dish.
    • Cut the top off of each bell pepper and with a spoon remove the seeds and as much of the white membrane as possible, then rinse.
    • Fill each bell pepper with heaping amount of the quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish.
    • Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour.
    • Uncover, top with 1 T of tomato spread and bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned.
    • Let stand 5 minutes.
    • Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and sauce each with seasoned pan juices before serving.
    • Note: any remaining stuffing can be frozen for later use.

    Notes

    Note: This topping can be cheese which would be very tasty but would change the dish from vegan to vegetarian.
    Note: For my vegan friends, Tofutti brand foods have some acceptable dairy substitutes. Try the health food section of Whole Foods or your local store.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Jughandle's Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 526 Calories from Fat 126
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 14g22%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Sodium 289mg13%
    Potassium 2016mg58%
    Carbohydrates 79g26%
    Fiber 18g75%
    Sugar 18g20%
    Protein 26g52%
    Vitamin A 17280IU346%
    Vitamin C 204.7mg248%
    Calcium 331mg33%
    Iron 10.9mg61%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.