Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Updated Jan 21, 2026
Quinoa stuffed peppers with 20g of protein per serving, filled with quinoa, beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices, topped with cheese, and baked.
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Quinoa stuffed peppers are vegetarian and soo good!
I love a good stuffed pepper, and lately I’ve been leaning into these quinoa stuffed peppers more than traditional beef stuffed peppers. The filling is quinoa, beans, corn, and tomatoes, and it ends up being just as satisfying without turning it into a whole thing. Each serving has about 20 grams of protein, which makes these quinoa stuffed peppers an easy meatless option that still works as a real dinner.
I recently tweaked the recipe to simplify it. I took the onions out so everything mixes right into the pot of quinoa instead of dirtying another pan. I also adjusted the amounts so the recipe now makes 8 pepper halves instead of 12. Same idea, just a smoother process.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Vegetarian Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Ingredients
- Quinoa: Plain white quinoa cooked in water to form the base of the filling. To add more flavor to the quinoa, you can cook it in vegetable broth.
- Peppers: Any bell pepper color works. Red, orange, and yellow are sweeter; green peppers are more savory and slightly firmer once baked.
- Filling: Fresh garlic is my preference, but you can use 1 teaspoon garlic powder in place of the 2 cloves. You’ll also need fire-roasted diced tomatoes (regular canned diced tomatoes work too), black beans or another bean you like, and frozen corn. Frozen corn has a better texture, in my opinion, but canned is fine if that’s what you have. Just drain it well.
- Seasoning: Cumin, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper keep the flavor simple. If you don’t want to measure individual spices, a taco seasoning blend works really well here. Use about 1½–2 teaspoons and adjust to taste.
- Cheese: Shredded mozzarella melts well, but Monterey Jack or a Mexican-blend cheese also works. If you have time, shred your own cheese; it melts better. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents added, so it doesn’t melt as well, but it still works!
How to Make Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Easy, vegetarian quinoa stuffed peppers have 20g of protein per serving and are made with white quinoa, black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, and simple spices, topped with cheese and baked in the oven.
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- ¾ cup water
- Cooking spray
- 4 medium bell peppers halved and cored
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Place the quinoa and water in a large skillet over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. Place the pepper halves in the prepared baking dish, cut side up.
- When the quinoa is done cooking and fluffed, turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic, tomatoes, black beans and corn. Season with cumin, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to combine everything and heat through.
- Carefully spoon the mixture evenly into the halved peppers in the baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
- Bake uncovered until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted, about 30-35 minutes.
Notes
- My Top Tip: Drain everything well. Tomatoes, beans, and corn all add moisture. Drain the beans and tomatoes well so the filling doesn’t turn soupy, and let the corn thaw in a colander so any excess moisture drains off.
- Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Freezing: You can also freeze the baked stuffed peppers for up to 3 months. Freeze them individually or all together in a baking dish. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through
½ cup uncooked quinoa
¾ cup water
2 garlic cloves minced
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes fire roasted
1 15 ounce can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Place the quinoa and water in a large skillet over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the quinoa covered for 5 minutes. Then uncover and fluff with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
Place the pepper halves in the prepared baking dish cut side up. Pour water around the peppers, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish.
When the quinoa is done cooking, turn the heat on medium. Add the garlic, tomatoes, black beans and frozen corn. Season with onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to combine everything and heat through.
Carefully spoon the mixture evenly into the sliced peppers in the baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.
Bake uncovered until the peppers are tender and the cheese is melted, about 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pepper, Calories: 365kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 787mg, Potassium: 884mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 4596IU, Vitamin C: 161mg, Calcium: 247mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Par-cook the peppers if you like them very soft: If you prefer really tender peppers, bake the halved peppers empty for 10 minutes before stuffing them, then continue with the recipe as written.
- Season before stuffing: Taste the quinoa filling before you add it to the peppers. This is your only chance to fix salt or spice levels easily.
- Let the quinoa sit in the pan before fluffing and making the stuffing. This will help it to absorb any extra moisture. If the quinoa is wet, you will end up with soggy stuffed peppers.
Serving Ideas
- Side Salad: Caesar Salad, Simple Green Salad or Garden Salad
- Soup: Cauliflower Soup, Tomato Soup or Zucchini soup
Comments
Loved these! I had some chickpeas left over from another recipe, so I added those as well. These reheated nicely in my air fryer.
Yum, love that you added chickpeas! So happy you liked them, Kathy. Thank you so much!!
This dish is really good but I makes way too much. I have 8 halves and still lots of leftover quinoa mixture. I will cut the recipe in half next time.
So glad you liked them, Terry! The recipe does make a lot (1 serving is 2 halves, so it makes a total of 4 servings). The good news is that leftovers stored in an airtight container last about 3-4 days in the fridge! If you don’t think you’ll finish them by then, they also freeze well once baked! You can freeze them individually or all together in your baking dish. To reheat them, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in the oven at 350°F until heated they’re through. Hope that helps!!
I’m making it again today It was so good but doing it differently . This time I diced the peppers and added it to all the other ingredients. Makes enough to freeze and enjoy for a few days. I’m honestly addicted to this.
Awesome!! So glad you’re enjoying it, Terry. Thank you!
Making this right now for some guests! Seems simple enough for me- a non chef, and I have no idea what kind of peppers these are since I’m not in the states- I guess time will tell! =)
Yay, I hope they love them!! This recipe uses sweet bell peppers (any color you’d like).
Despite several errors I made, this recipe tastes great! I will definitely use it again. Great recipe for when all the red peppers are getting ripe on the vine at the same time!
So true! Glad you liked it, Deb. Thank you!!
Hello. I’m currently making this dish now, all in the oven 🙂
However, I’ve got a lot of leftover quinoa and I’m just cooking for me. Can I freeze this? You mention freezing with the baked peppers after cooking but I don’t currently have any more peppers.
Yes, you can freeze the cooked quinoa. Hope you enjoy!
Should the canned tomatoes and beans be drained?
Good question! You should drain the black beans but not the canned tomatoes.
Great fast and yummy! Thank you for such a tasty healthy dish.
Yay, so glad you loved it!! Thank you!
This recipe is great, really helped me get some protein in after a gym workout! Sorry for my confusion but is the recipe 6 whole peppers?? Or 6 halves like in the photos? It’s been a while since I’ve done it.
So happy you like it! So sorry for the confusion, the recipe calls for 6 whole peppers. The photos only show 6 halves but the recipe makes enough filling to fill 12 halves.
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