Quinoa & Beef Stuffed Peppers

Growing up in an Italian family, I always enjoyed my nonna’s rice and ground veal stuffed peppers. Using this meal inspiration, I have created my own stuffed peppers where I substituted quinoa for rice for added protein and fibre. There is a lot of versatility with this recipe so be sure to toss in additional veggies or spices according to your tastes. This recipe is also gluten-free for those on a restricted diet.

Quinoa & Beef Stuffed Peppers Recipe:

• Serves: 4-6
• Prep time: 40 minutes
• Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup quinoa (dry and rinsed)
• 14 oz canned tomato sauce
• 1 Tbsp Italian spices (pre-mixed)
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6-10 mushrooms, chopped
• ½ cup mozzarella or marble cheese, grated
• 6 coloured peppers, cut out top and remove insides

Optional: Add ½ cup black beans, rinsed and drained

Instructions:

1. Over medium heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink.
2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions in a separate pot. Typically, you use double the water to dry quinoa. Therefore, 2 cups of water for 1 cup of quinoa.
3. When ground beef and quinoa are cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, quinoa, tomato paste, garlic, spices, mushrooms and stir to mix together.
5. Fill each hollowed out raw pepper with the quinoa and beef mixture.
6. Top with grated cheese.
7. Place peppers into pre-heated 375F oven for 35-45 minutes or until lightly browned and peppers softened.
8. Serve with side salad for light meal or as an appetizer when entertaining.