Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

These healthy Mexican quinoa and turkey stuffed peppers are a quick and easy weeknight meal that’s ready in under 35 minutes! Low-carb and packed with flavor, this is an entree the entire family will love.

Love easy weeknight dinners? Then try my Mexican Stuffed Shells and Creamy Mushroom Carbonara!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I love replacing pasta or rice with quinoa in some my favorite dishes.  It’s loaded with tons of health benefits and is gluten free.  Just as easy to prepare as rice but comes with a lot more health benefits. One cup of quiona has 8 grams of protein!

These Mexican stuffed peppers are loaded with lean ground turkey, black beans, corn, crushed tomatoes and quinoa. Cumin, cayenne pepper and paprika give the filling a little kick.

Healthy, satisfying and loaded with flavor. The stuffed peppers are cooked in the oven until perfectly tender. A filling, hearty and flavorful meal.

Plus, this gluten-free and low-carb dish takes 35 minutes to make start to finish. Not to shabby for an easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil (or another light-tasting oil like avocado)
• Lean ground turkey (could also use ground chicken, beef, or pork)
• Chopped onion (white or yellow)
• Minced garlic
• Crushed tomatoes
• Chicken stock (opt for low-sodium if using store-bought)
• Frozen corn
• Black beans (drained and rinsed)
• Cumin
• Chili powder
• Paprika
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Cooked quinoa (plain or tricolor)
• Lime juice
• Chopped cilantro
• Bell peppers

How To Make This Dish

1. Start by adding oil to a large skillet.
2. Once the oil is shiny, add in ground turkey and sauté until fully cooked, 4-5 minutes. Add in onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
3. Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, beans, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
4. Take off the heat and stir in cooked quinoa, lime juice and cilantro. Stuff peppers with the filling and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 or until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot.
6. Serve the peppers as is or with a side of enchilada sauce with extra cilantro for garnish, if desired. Enjoy!

Tips for Success

• To speed up this recipe, I used pre-cooked quinoa. I like to make large batches of quinoa at the beginning of the week to toss into salads.
• You could add some Mexican shredded cheese on top if you’d like. I wanted to keep this dish as light as possible so I omitted it.
• You can leave your pepper whole or cut in half lengthwise. I find cutting the pepper in half makes for an easier and less messy eat.
• I love how colorful these peppers are. Any color or type of pepper will do. I love the presentation of the tricolor peppers.

Serving Suggestions

• Creamy Confetti Corn
• Enchilada Rice
• Loaded Mexican Sweet Potatoes
• Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
• Mexican Kale Salad
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Storage Instructions

Store cooled leftover quinoa stuffed peppers in an airtight container upright for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until warmed through.

We don’t recommend freezing these quinoa stuffed peppers as the texture will be affected as it thaws. But you could make a large batch of the quinoa and meat filling to freeze and use with fresh peppers later to speed up the cooking process.

More Healthy Quinoa Recipes

• Chopped Kale Quinoa and Avocado Salad
• Tomato and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
• Greek Kale Quinoa Salad
• Mushroom Shallot Garlic Quinoa
• Healthy Vegetarian Quinoa Chili
• Cheesy Broccoli Quinoa Bake

Healthy Turkey and Quinoa Mexican Stuffed Peppers

5 from 7 votes

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Healthy Mexican Quinoa and Turkey Stuffed Peppers. A quick, easy and healthy weeknight meal!

Servings: 6 peppers

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 3 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Meanwhile, add oil to a large skillet. Add in ground turkey and saute until fully cooked and no longer pink, 4-5 minutes.
  
• Add in onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  
• Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, corn, beans, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened.
  
• Take off the heat and stir in cooked quinoa, lime juice and cilantro.
  
• Stuff peppers with the filling and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-25 or until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot.

  Serve immediately and enjoy!
  

Nutrition Information

Calories: 139.15kcalCarbohydrates: 14.43gProtein: 12.26gFat: 4.06gSaturated Fat: 0.67gCholesterol: 21.39mgSodium: 143.84mgPotassium: 428.59mgFiber: 3.3gSugar: 4.63gVitamin A: 2077.94IUVitamin C: 80.44mgCalcium: 20.82mgIron: 1.55mg

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