Hearty yet light, these stuffed bell peppers are stuffed with a mixture of quinoa, ground meat, vegetables, and spices; this is healthy comfort food at it’s finest.
Whenever I’m craving comfort food but want to get a meal in that’ll make me feel good with lots of nutrients, stuffed bell peppers ALWAYS come to mind. This dish is a classic Greek staple, and for good reason. The flavors are unmatched!!
We’re packing the bell peppers full of ground beef (you can substitute turkey or chicken), quinoa (sub a short grain rice), vegetables, a few easy spices, and herbs!
I love cooking down these bell peppers low and slow until they’re super tender, but you can cook them a bit shorter if you’d like the peppers to have a bite to them.
Full recipe below, add them to your menu this week!!
Stuffed Bell Peppers (serves 3-4)
6-8 large bell peppers any colors you like, I used red
Olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef, sub turkey or chicken
1 large portabella mushroom cap, or baby bella mushrooms, finely diced
1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (14 ounces), with juices
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 teaspoons chili powder (a mild blend- I make mine homemade with this recipe and omit the cayenne)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro, sub parsley
½ teaspoon kosher salt, + more to taste
Shredded cheese for topping (I recommend sharp cheddar), sub feta
1 ½ cups bone broth
Extra cilantro/parsley, avocado, and lime wedges for servings
Start by heating a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Add your ground meat of choice and brown the meat until cooked through. Break it up finely with a masher so that the pieces of meat are very small. Transfer meat to a plate or bowl and set aside.
Chop
To the same pan, add in a bit more olive oil, then add in your diced onion, mushrooms, and carrots. Saute over medium high heat until softened and onion is beginning to brown.
Turn heat to medium, then add in the can of tomatoes, quinoa, spices, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine, then add back in your ground meat, as well as the cilantro or parsley. Stir well again to combine everything. Taste, and add more salt if needed, this step is important to bring out all of the flavors and balance the acidity of tomatoes.
Cut off the tops of all of the bell peppers. Remove seeds, cores, and ribs. Add whole bell peppers to the bottom of a slow cooker standing up- you should be able to fit 6-8 depending on their size. Pack them in so they hold each other upright.
Use a large spoon to add the filling to each bell pepper. Pack the filling down in each bell pepper so everything is nice and compact. Pour the bone broth into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Set heat to low and cook for 6-8 hours. The longer you cook them, the more tender they will be. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, sprinkle on LOTS of cheese (I used feta, but sharp cheddar/Mexican blend would be great too). Cook covered until the cheese is melty.
Serve with extra fresh herbs, cheese, avocado, a squeeze of lime, or any other toppings your heart desires!!! Enjoy!
I hope you love this recipe!! It really is the best healthy comfort food, filled with protein, fiber, and micronutrients.
See you on the next post <3 have a wonderful week!
With love,
Abigail