Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers have all the flavors of your favorite dip and make the perfect brunch or dinner meal!

Deliciously Stuffed

Bell peppers are the perfect veggie for stuffing and are versatile since you can stuff them with whatever you want! Once I got the hang of cooking quinoa well, I knew I wanted to mash my new quinoa-cooking skills with some of my favorite things, like mouthwatering spinach and artichoke dip! This veggie-packed meal has a variety of textures and flavors, from the pops of quinoa, tender artichoke hearts, “meaty” mushrooms, and tons of cheesy vegetables that make this dish so satisfying to eat and so deliciously filling!

Southwest Quinoa Salad is a great salad to start the meal with or to share at a potluck, along with Roasted Corn and Quinoa Salad– both are loaded with veggies and tons of flavor!

Other Recipes to Serve with Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

• Serving these stuffed peppers for brunch means you also need the perfect drink to go with this meal, something light and off-the-charts delicious, like Moscato Punch!
• You’ve got the tasty savory dishes covered but don’t forget to bring a little sweet to the party with a batch of freshly baked Blueberry Muffins!

Ingredients

Veggies: To start, pick up 6 bell peppers of any color, an onion of your choice, white or baby bella mushrooms, garlic, a block of frozen spinach, and a can of quartered artichoke hearts. The spinach will need to be thawed and squeezed completely dry before adding it to this recipe.

Pantry Items: Most importantly, you need quinoa for this dish, and when it comes to color, you can pick whatever color you like, even a mix of the three colors (white, red, and black) if you want. You will also need chicken broth or vegetable broth to make this dish vegetarian, and olive oil.

Cheese: To make these stuffed peppers, you will need a mix of cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and feta cheese. Regular and low-fat options are fine, along with pre-shredded or pre-crumbled cheese.

Seasoning: This recipe will also use a little salt and pepper.

How to Make Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Bell Peppers

STEP ONE: In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil and add the quinoa. Stir the quinoa well and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the quinoa for 12 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Cover the pot and allow the quinoa to rest for 15 minutes.

STEP TWO: While the quinoa is hanging out, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and saute until soft. Stir in the sliced mushrooms.

STEP THREE: When the mushrooms are soft, stir in the spinach and artichokes. Turn off the heat, but keep the pan on the burner while you stir in the cream cheese, 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, and the feta cheese.

STEP FOUR: Stir the quinoa into the cheese and veggie mix in the skillet.

STEP FIVE: On a cutting board, slice the tops off the bell peppers and remove all the seeds. Place the bell peppers in a baking dish with high sides and fill each pepper with the cheesy quinoa mix. Top the peppers with parmesan cheese. Lastly, add some chicken stock to the bottom of the baking dish.

STEP SIX: Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the cover and bake the stuffed peppers for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned.

Tips for Success

• The filling can be cooked a day ahead of time, and once it has cooled, you can stuff the peppers. Keep everything covered in the fridge, and when you’re ready to cook the stuffed peppers, let them come to room temperature before baking, or add a few more minutes to the bake time.
• To make this dish vegetarian, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth, and you’re all set!
• Make sure to squeeze all the water out of the spinach to prevent excess moisture in the filling. If you notice too much liquid in the pan before adding the quinoa, you can drain the liquid so that the stuffed peppers don’t become soggy.

How do you cook quinoa?

Once you’ve mastered cooking quinoa, you’ll want to use it in many more dishes because it’s an excellent substitute for many grains and has a good amount of protein. Before you even get near the stove top, the first step in making quinoa is to rinse it. Rinsing quinoa removes any potential bitterness and will leave you with great-tasting quinoa. Much like cooking rice, you’ll want to boil the liquid and quinoa, cover it, and turn the heat down so it can simmer. Leave the quinoa undisturbed during this time and once the timer goes off you can fluff it with a fork. Put the cover back on the quinoa and let it rest for about 10 minutes to finish cooking. That’s all there is to it; it’s that easy. As a bonus, you can use any color variety of quinoa, and these steps will work the same.

How do you keep stuffed peppers from falling over?

Having your stuffed peppers fall over and spill the filling can be a bummer, but you can do a few things to keep them upright! First, use a baking dish that isn’t too big so that the peppers can support each other while cooking. You can also use other pans that hold the stuffed peppers upright, like muffin tins or Bundt pans. Secondly, you have the option to cut the peppers in half, from top to bottom, so that each side lays flat in the baking dish. To do this, leave the tops of the bell peppers on, cut the peppers in half, scoop out the seeds, and fill as stated in the recipe. You may need a bigger baking dish for this option, or use a sheet pan instead.

More Incredible Stuffed Pepper Ideas!

• Stuffed Pepper Soup
• Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Mini Peppers
• Sausage Stuffed Cherry Peppers
• Stuffed Sweet Peppers
• Stuffed Peppers

*This post was originally posted on 05/06/2014