Name: Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2-4
Cuisine: stuffed peppers
Ingredients: 3 red 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 paste

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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 quinoa stuffed peppers. However, I decided to make a few changes.

THE BEST MEDITERRANEAN STUFFED PEPPERS

These stuffed peppers are a simple good-for-you meal, perfect for Meatless Monday. Garlic, oregano, feta cheese, and harissa give these stuffed peppers incredible flavor–YUM! 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

HOW TO MAKE STUFFED PEPPERS

Try to find larger peppers if you can. I used red peppers, but technically any kind of bell pepper will work. The larger the pepper, the easier it’ll be to fill with quinoa.
Slice the pepper in half length-ways, then scrape out the seeds as best you can. Then, place the peppers cut-side up in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and set aside.
Make the filling: you can find step-by-step instructions for this step below, but once the filling is made, you’ll stuff the peppers as best you can before baking them in the oven. Tip: be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking it! Otherwise, it’ll taste bitter.
Top peppers with feta cheese AFTER they’re done baking; otherwise, the feta will brown in the oven (it doesn’t melt well!).

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 PASTE?

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.

Tip: 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.

Looking for more Mediterranean-inspired recipes? Try these!