
Swap the ground beef for a healthier, plant-based protein like lentils with our Lentil & Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe. Quick and easy to prepare, work this into your weeknight dinner rotation. You’ll never miss the meat.
LENTIL & QUINOA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 40 Minutes | Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown lentils
- 3 large bell peppers (different colors), halved and seeded – 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese
- 1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- Avocado oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Heat avocado oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring until fragrant.
- Add in the uncooked quinoa, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, 1 cup of the vegetable broth, and the chopped cilantro. Stir well to combine and then cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, start on the bell peppers. Slice them in half and remove the seeds and
membranes. Place in a baking dish. - After the 15 minutes, the mixture should be fully cooked. Stir in the cooked lentils until well-combined. Then, scoop the lentil-quinoa filling into the bell pepper halves, filling them as much as you can. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of vegetable broth into the bottom of the baking pan and cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and top the bell peppers with the shredded Mexican cheese. Place back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes uncovered. Serve hot. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and enjoy!