Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers are an easy weeknight meal that are filled with flavors like garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and feta cheese. These peppers are a healthy vegetarian meal that’s loaded with protein thanks to the quinoa.
Quinoa stuffed peppers are happening today!
I’ve been on a mediterranean flavor kick recently—I just re-shared this mediterranean quinoa bowl recipe, which was the original inspiration behind these peppers.
Quinoa stuffed peppers recipe
These stuffed peppers are a simple good-for-you meal, perfect for Meatless Monday. These peppers are the best because:
- Quinoa is the main ingredient, so even though there’s no meat, there’s still plenty of protein involved
- They’re topped with feta and harissa, aka TONS of flavor
- They’re ready in under 45 minutes total, which isn’t too bad considering you’ll probably have leftovers
Ingredient notes
- Quinoa – any color quinoa works, and always remember to rinse your quinoa before your cook it
- Bell peppers – any color
- Feta cheese – this is optional, though I believe a sprinkle of feta cheese makes everything better
- Harissa – also optional, but if you want a little added spice, I highly recommend a drizzle of harissa
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Cook the quinoa as you normally would over the stovetop
Step 2: Slice the peppers in half length-ways, and remove the seeds. Place them cut-side up in a baking dish, drizzle with a little olive oil and set aside.
Step 3: Make the filling. Combine the cooked quinoa with the garlic, oregano, salt, chickpeas, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
Step 4: Stuff the peppers with the quinoa mixture, then bake them for 25 minutes or until the peppers have softened.
Step 5: When the peppers are done cooking, top them with feta cheese and a drizzle of harissa!
FAQs and Tips
- Try to find larger peppers if you can, because the larger the pepper, the easier it’ll be to fill with quinoa. I used red peppers, but any kind of bell pepper will work.
What can you stuff peppers with?
Though this recipe calls for specific ingredients, there are a LOT of things you can stuff peppers with. So, I thought I’d give you some other ideas and/or substitutions for ingredients should you need them.
- Grains: including but not limited to quinoa, rice, barley
- Vegetables: tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach
- Cheese: ANY kind of cheese will work. Sprinkling the cheese on top of the peppers as soon as they come out of the oven ensures that the cheese will melt and/or be warm when serving.
- Meat: this recipe is vegetarian, but you could absolutely stuff the peppers with some sort of sausage or bacon.
Where can I find harissa?
Have you hopped on the Harissa paste train yet? Consequently, it took me awhile to do so because I found it tricky to actually find Harissa paste. But, I believe I ended up finding some at Giant Eagle and I know for a fact that you can order some online. The other good news is that a little bit goes a long way, so a jar should last you awhile.
What I’m getting at is that, if you don’t already have some in your pantry or refrigerator, you need to get some! It adds flavor and a little bit of spice to recipes (like this tomato soup) and packs a punch in these quinoa stuffed peppers as well.
Can I prep this recipe ahead of time?
You can absolutely prep the quinoa ahead of time to make this process even faster. First, make the quinoa and then store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Or, if you’re making it further in advance, place it in a container in the freezer.
Try these other Mediterranean-inspired recipes
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
- Mediterranean Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Garlic Salmon Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below!
Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Video
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers, sliced and seeds removed
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup chickpeas, rinsed
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta, or more
- 1-2 tbsp harissa
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Start by cooking the quinoa. While the quinoa is cooking, slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place peppers face up in a baking sheet.
- Once quinoa is cooked, place it in a large bowl and add garlic, oregano, salt, chickpeas, and tomatoes to the bowl; stir to combine.
- Spoon quinoa mixture into the red peppers until they're full, then bake the peppers for 20-25 minutes, or until peppers are soft.
- Top peppers with feta cheese then drizzle with harissa paste.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in February 2019. It was updated with new text and photos in May 2020.
Flavor combination is good; I prefer the “stuffing” to become cohesive as the pepper halves bake so that it can be sliced and eaten together with the pepper. Next time will try incorporating the feta cheese in the mix – in chunks vs. crumbled – before peppers are stuffed, to bind it together.
Also, can you verify your nutrition data? I entered the recipe into a tracking app and came up with 185 cal, and that was without the chickpeas. Thanks!
Ended up with the seasoning Harissa instead of the Harissa paste. Any suggestions.
Hi! I’d still use a little of the harissa seasoning — maybe 1/2 tsp to start — for flavor. And then just use extra feta cheese and you should be good!
I love how you used harissa in this recipe! It’s one of my favorite condiments 🙂
Thank you! It’s such an underrated condiment, but it’s the best.