Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers make an easy dinner that is delicious for the whole family! It’s super easy to customize this to anyone’s taste palate and will have a hearty, seemingly fancy meal on the table quickly. These stuffed bell peppers are great for any time of year. Made with turkey, quinoa, tomatoes, corn and beans, all stuffed in a bright bell pepper and topped with cheese!
Some of my favorite dinner recipes today are the ones I discovered in the first few months of being married. It was quite an adjustment going from having a meal plan and cooking mac and cheese in my dorm, to having to feed two people. This recipe became a staple for us while we were living with my parents because it’s easy to multiply and easy to customize for people with very different taste pallets. At one point we had someone who didn’t like beans, a vegetarian and someone who didn’t like spicy food all under one roof. And this meal worked for all of them!
Quinoa is such a fun grain to work with because it is mild, but it is also really easy to combine other flavors with. Especially right now while I’m pregnant, I’m always looking for filling meals because I’m usually hungry an hour after eating. This recipe makes plenty of filling for the peppers or to eat on it’s own which is great for leftovers or after-dinner snacks.
Steven has never been a fan of beans in general, so if you have someone in your family who doesn’t like a certain ingredient in the recipe you can easily add that ingredient last after you’ve already filled their pepper with the rest of the mix.
The best part about stuffed peppers is that it is a seemingly complicated dish to make but your actual cook and prep time are pretty minimal with a few easy tricks. The part that usually takes the longest about cooking stuffed peppers is having to cook the pepper completely in the oven. The first few times I made peppers, I stuffed raw peppers with my mixture and let them cook for almost an hour. Then I learned of a much easier way to pre-cook the peppers and only have to cook the stuffed versions for about 20 minutes! To precook the peppers, you just boil a large pot of water and let the peppers (after you’ve cut them in half and removed the seeds) cook for 5-10 minutes while you’re prepping the filling.
Stuffed bell peppers are perfect for serving to guests for dinner, a large family dinner or even someone who just had a baby who you’re bringing food to. These turkey quinoa stuffed peppers are super versatile and delicious!
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Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 pepper halves 1x
- Category: Entrees
- Cuisine: Mexican
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Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers make an easy dinner that is delicious for the whole family! It’s super easy to customize this to anyone’s taste palate and will have a hearty, seemingly fancy meal on the table quickly. These stuffed bell peppers are great for any time of year. Made with turkey, quinoa, tomatoes, corn and beans, all stuffed in a bright bell pepper and topped with cheese!
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers (variety of colors), core removed and cut in half
- 1 lb ground turkey meat
- 1 can of no salt added corn
- 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles
- 1/2 can of black beans, optional
- 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1 cup quinoa (cook according to package instructions)
- 1/2 cup of shredded cheese
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions.
- Brown turkey meat and set aside when complete.
- Boil a large pot of water.
- Remove core and seeds from bell pepper and cut in half, down the center.
- Place bell peppers into boiling water for 5 minutes or until colors are vibrant.
- Remove bell peppers using tongs and set aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl (reserving half the cheese).
- Stuff each pepper with mixture and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Teresa says
Yum! These look great! I love stuffed peppers but always put rice in them. I’ll have to try quinoa next time and see how I like it.
Madison says
You can try cauliflower in them, too! Especially right now for you, cauliflower might be better than using rice! My parents love using it. You just cook it and then mash it up into smaller pieces and add that in with your mixture.
Cat Elsby says
Yum! Aren’t peppers so pretty? And I love how “in” quinoa is right now because it’s soooooo good
Madison says
They are SOO pretty. I just love them! And I know, I’m totally on a quinoa kick too! I didn’t think I’d like it at first but I really do.
Emily says
I love love stuffed bell peppers and this recipe sounds delicious!!
Madison says
Thanks Emily! It is super easy too.
Shell Peterson says
uhhhh….YUUUMMMMM!!!!!
JLynn Justad says
This looks delicious! I had to save this recipe! Thanks for sharing! xx
Madison says
Thanks JLynn!
Jenna Owens (@aSavoryFeast) says
I love how pretty these are! So far I’m not crazy about bell peppers, but I need to try them again. Quinoa is my fave right now, so this would be the perfect way to give bell peppers a shot.
Madison says
I didn’t use to like bell peppers either, but I actually learned to love them through stuffed peppers recipes! Maybe you’ll be the same way 🙂
Chelsea Jacobs says
These sound delicious–I love finding new ways to cook with quinoa!
Madison says
It’s such a great ingredient!
Ramona C says
These stuffed peppers look great. I’ve never thought of using quinoa to fill them. I will have to give this a try.
Lauren @ Here We Geaux says
What would you recommend for replacing the quinoa with rice?
Madison says
I’ve made these plenty of times with just plan white rice. You just need to cook it according to the directions and add it to the mix!
Lauren @ Here We Geaux says
Awesome. Have you used a rice cooker before? I literally do not know how to cook rice otherwise. We Cajuns don’t use anything else!
Lauren
Here We Geaux
Subject: Re: Comment on Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
Madison says
I haven’t but you can cook the rice anyway you want. As long as you’re adding cooked rice in, you’ll be good to go!
Nisha says
Did a vegetarian version of these for dinner tonight with Quorn mince instead of Turkey. Went down well!
Thanks for the inspiration, Madison!
Nisha x
Madison Wetherill says
That’s great! I’m so glad you were able to make a vegetarian substitution! We have also done this recipe with Beyond Beef before.