Tonight, Lindsey, Esther, and I had a Benny and Joon movie night tied with a super tasty dinner. We opted for a Lindsey-friendly meal that was gluten-free and dairy-free!
I thought to myself, what’s a veggie-packed, gluten-free, and wonderfully filling? The first thing that came to my mind was: Stuffed Peppers!
This meal was ridiculously protein-packed with quinoa AND beans! Get pumped up, everybody!
Stuffed Peppers with Chickpeas and Black Beans
1/2 c. Quinoa (dried)
3 medium/large Bell Peppers – tops removed and gutted
1 1/2 c. loosely packed Spinach
1 can of Chickpeas
1 can of Black Beans
1 medium Onion, diced
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 large can of Peeled Whole Tomatoes
1/2 c. Water
2 T. Parsley
2 1/2 T. Cumin
1/2 T. Cayenne Pepper
1 T. Cilantro, minced
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Extra Minced Parsley as a garnish
Cook the quinoa to the specifications from the box!
In a medium-sized sauce pan on medium heat, add about 1 T. of Olive oil and add 1/2 of diced onion until translucent. Then add 1 clove of garlic minced until slightly cooked. Pour the can of tomatoes into the pan and smush them up! Bring to boil and reduce to simmer and watch that sauce thicken up! Add some salt and pepper to taste, plus the 2 T. of parsley!
While your sauce is thickening, in a skillet, with a bit of oil sauté the onions and garlic in a similar fashion as the sauce. Once the garlic and onions are cooked through, add the black beans and chickpeas. Season with the cumin, salt and pepper.
Once the beans start to get cooked all the way through, add in some water to prevent the beans from sticking to the pan and getting too mushy. Bring the water to a boil and simmer until majority of the water is gone. Add the spinach just as it starts to wilt.
As the filling is getting all cooked through, place the peppers in a baking dish – we used a bread dish – and brush the dish as well as the outside of the peppers. Roast the peppers for about 20 minutes at 350°F.
Once the filling is all cooked through, add the quinoa and about 1/2 the sauce. Mix well!
Take the peppers out of the oven and fill them up with your delicious quinoa mixture! Then top the peppers and surround them with the leftover sauce!
Bake for about 10-15 minutes and serve piping hot! Garnish the beautiful peppers with some minced parsley!
These peppers took on a Southwestern feel and were incredibly scrumptious! The only thing I might change would be to add some lime wedges as a compliment to all the wonderful flavors already present!
Yum yum yuuuum,
Mimi
Ooo, this is a rad way to use quinoa. Stuffed peppers are the best.