Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

One thing I’ve been trying to do for some time now is to make sure I include at least one meatless entrée on our menu each week. This is beneficial to our health and our pocketbook.

I’ve had mixed success with this because my husband is a fan of meat and of heartier meals, but he’s not a fan of vegetables. Nevertheless, I keep trying new options, including these Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers, in the hope he will enjoy something enough for me to make it a staple.

Ingredients

(Adapted from this recipe.)

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 4 large bell peppers (whichever color you prefer)
• 1 ½ cups pico de gallo
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare the quinoa according to the package instructions.

Meanwhile, wash the bell peppers. Carefully cut out the stems, then cut each pepper lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a plate and microwave uncovered for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Once cooled, turn the peppers cut side up and place in a lightly greased 9 x 13-in. baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the pico de gallo, beans, cottage cheese, ½ cup of the Monterey Jack cheese, and the prepared quinoa. Spoon this mixture into the peppers; sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is thoroughly heated. Yield: 4 servings.

Notes

This dish calls for simple ingredients and is pretty easy to prepare. The peppers and pico de gallo make it a colorful dish, which made my children interested in trying it. I thought the flavor was good, but on the mild side. Next time I will add some extra garlic or perhaps some taco seasoning. My husband wasn’t enthusiastic about trying the dish, but he ate it and thought it was okay.

Though this recipe calls for quinoa, you could easily substitute rice if you’d prefer. Likewise, you could use other cheeses (such as cheddar or pepper jack). The source for this recipe states that it yields four servings (an entire pepper—cut in half and stuffed—per person), but it yielded more than my family of five could eat! I was full after eating just one pepper half and my kids certainly didn’t eat two halves. We had a couple halves remaining, and these reheated well.

Have you tried any meatless recipes lately? I’d love to hear about them!

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