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Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans

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Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans. This easy dinner reheats like a dream and makes a great freezer meal. Try it with the homemade enchilada sauce! (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Overhead view of Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

Recipe, photos, and post updated April 2018. Originally posted March 2012. 

Do you guys do Meatless Monday? It’s a great way to change things up, mix in more plant-based meals, and even save a little money while you’re at it. I’ve been SO EXCITED to share this recipe with you since there are so many new faces around here.

These Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa & Black Beans have been in my top recipes every year since 2012. Isn’t that nuts?! They were a favorite long before we needed to eat gluten and dairy free, and they’ve continued to be a favorite ever since.

Why? So glad you asked….(or, at least I asked…myself…)

Overhead view of a Mexican Quinoa Filling for Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans, Green Chiles, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Cilantro, and more. Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans on a White Plate with Red Enchilada Sauce

For one thing, Tex-Mex flavors are a forever favorite around these parts. Anything taco-y or enchilada-y, or burrito-y is right up my alley. These have lots of goodies tucked inside, like black beans, cilantro, a little red onion, some bright colorful tomatoes, and a tiny baby kick from some mild green chiles.

For another thing, they’re also a dynamite way to use quinoa. I love quinoa more than ever now that we’re gluten free because it’s such a flexible grain option. Plus, it packs a protein punch and is more nutrient dense than brown rice or white rice.

And while I could go on and on, I also love that they’re meal-prep and freezer friendly. You can easily make these ahead of time (perfect for packing away for a busy night or bringing to a friend in need), or make them to enjoy for lunches throughout the week.

You can mix and match filling options here too–feel free to stir in some corn, or a little grilled chicken or taco-seasoned beef/turkey (obviously not vegan).

And, I mean, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but while you’re at it, I *highly* recommend making your own enchilada sauce. It’s completely delicious and just the right amount of spicy!

Overhead view of colorful stuffed peppers with Tex-Mex Quinoa Filling.

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT MEXICAN STUFFED PEPPERS:

SPEED THINGS ALONG! If you want to speed the baking process along, you can pre-cook your peppers a bit. You can microwave them (seeded and halved) for a minute or two to soften, steam them for 1-2 minutes, or blanch them in boiling water for about a minute. If you pre-cook your peppers a bit, you’ll really only need about 20-25 minutes in the oven.

MIX THINGS UP! I love using flavored olive oils to give these an added boost–Mexican Lime, or even a bit of Jalapeño olive oil are really nice here, too! Or, you can switch up the filling, by mixing in some grilled corn, sliced black olives, or even some grilled chicken or taco-spiced turkey/ground beef (obviously the meat options are no longer vegan). You could also top these with shredded cheese if you’re not dairy free/vegan.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS. To freeze these, you’ll want to put your assembled peppers in a freezer-safe baking dish (ceramic, glass, metal, or heavy-duty foil) and cover the baking dish with a layer of plastic wrap, then foil for extra insulation. You can bake them straight from frozen (add your enchilada sauce before freezing or right before baking–your choice!). Just follow the regular baking instructions and they should be ready to go! Just don’t forget to remove the plastic wrap before re-heating!!!

MEAL PREPPING? TRY THESE! I love these 2-compartment glass containers. They don’t hold onto odors, and they’re microwave and oven safe, which makes for easy re-heating.

TRY THESE TASTY TOPPINGS! You can enjoy these as is with some enchilada sauce drizzled on top, or you can kick things up a notch with some guacamole, citrus avocado dip, or sliced avocado. Non-vegans folks can also easily do a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheese.

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans on a White Plate with Red Enchilada Sauce

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Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans - The perfect Meatless Monday recipe! (Gluten free, vegan)

Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans


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4.8 from 56 reviews

  • Author: Emily
  • Yield: 8 1x

Description

This easy dinner reheats like a dream and makes a great freezer meal. Try it with the homemade enchilada sauce! (Gluten Free & Vegan)

PS – Don’t need this many servings? You can easily halve the recipe! Just use 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa and halve the rest of the ingredients!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 bell peppers (any color), sliced in half stem-to-tip, seeds removed
  • 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
  • 1/4tsp salt
  • 1/4tsp pepper
  • 12 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup diced Roma or grape tomatoes
  • 1 (4oz) can mild green chiles (don’t drain)
  • 1/4c cilantro, minced
  • 1 recipe red enchilada sauce (or 1 (28oz) can)*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook quinoa according to package directions. Stir in salt, pepper, lime juice, and olive oil.

Stir in black beans, red onion, tomato, green chiles, and cilantro. Stir until well combined.

Pour enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Place pepper halves cut side up in the pan on top of the enchilada sauce. Scoop quinoa filling into the bell pepper halves.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until peppers are tender. (See notes for how you can speed up the bake time!)

Serve peppers drizzled with enchilada sauce.

Notes

SPEED THINGS ALONG – If you want to speed the baking process along, you can pre-cook your peppers a bit. You can microwave them (seeded and halved) for a minute or two to soften, steam them for 1-2 minutes, or blanch them in boiling water for about a minute. If you pre-cook your peppers a bit, you’ll really only need about 20-25 minutes in the oven.

MIX THINGS UP – I love using flavored olive oils to give these an added boost–Mexican Lime, or even a bit of Jalapeño olive oil are really nice here, too! Or, you can switch up the filling, by mixing in some grilled corn, sliced black olives, or even some grilled chicken or taco-spiced turkey/ground beef (obviously the meat options are no longer vegan). You could also top these with shredded cheese if you’re not dairy free/vegan.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS – To freeze these, you’ll want to put your assembled peppers in a freezer-safe baking dish (ceramic, glass, metal, or heavy-duty foil) and cover the baking dish with a layer of plastic wrap, then foil for extra insulation. You can bake them straight from frozen (add your enchilada sauce before freezing or right before baking–your choice!). Just follow the regular baking instructions and they should be ready to go! Just don’t forget to remove the plastic wrap before re-heating!!!

TOPPINGS – You can enjoy these as is with some enchilada sauce drizzled on top, or you can kick things up a notch with some guacamole, citrus avocado dip, or sliced avocado. Non-vegans folks can also easily do a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheese.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 149kcal
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Sodium: 207mg
  • Fat: 3g
  • Saturated Fat: 0g
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 25g
  • Fiber: 7g
  • Protein: 6g
  • Cholesterol: 0

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154 Comments

  1. I love this recipe. I started making it after I saw it on pinterest with my mom when we were sharing vegetarian dishes. Now i’m in college and I love making this with my roommate for an easy dish. I love how healthy it is and that it makes wonderful leftovers. Thanks so much for sharing!!

  2. This is a staple in our home. Only thing we change is we add the juice of one fresh lime to the mixture. We don’t usually put cheese on, seriously doesn’t need it! Thank you so much!






  3. This turned out really well. My vegetarian daughter suggested adding corn and cooked-then-squeezed spinach for an even healthier version. Thank you for the recipe. I always have a hard time trying to decide what to make when she visits.






  4. Thank you for the lovely photos and recipe. It was really fun making enchilada sauce from scratch. We enjoyed this delicious dish! 🙂

  5. These look really good !! I would like to take these for lunch. How well do these reheat in the microwave (only option at work).

    Thanks.

  6. Just made these stuffed peppers just as the recipe called for (and the homemade enchilada sauce) with one substitution, and they were way TOO HOT! I did not have any fresh tomatoes, so I used one can of Rotel diced tomatoes with chiles (Original flavor), and did not add the separate can of green chiles since the canned tomatoes already had them. My mouth is still on fire! (Had to drink with almond milk to get it down.) I don’t know what went wrong! Do not use the Original Rotel tomatoes people! Yikes!!!

    1. FOLLOW-UP COMMENT: It wasn’t the Rotel tomatoes with the extra HEAT. It was in the homemade enchilada sauce which means it must be coming from those chipotle chili (packed in adobo)! I did rinse them as directed! Beware of those chipotle chili peppers!

  7. This is insanely good! I also added a little bit of ground turkey. This is a great alternative for diabetics!






  8. I wand to make this in my Instant Pot….I plan on stuffing the peppers with uncooked quinoa already mixed in with all of the other ingredients…do you know what the cook time would be? Thanks!!!!!






    1. I’m so sorry Suzie! I only *just* got an Instant Pot for Christmas, so I haven’t gotten to use it much and don’t know what to recommend. If you give it a successful try, i’d love to know how it went!

  9. I have made these more times than I can count. Thanks so much for the recipe, its always a hit. I do exactly as the recipe says, sometimes I add another tomato.






  10. The dish looks good but I wish bloggers would stop calling dishes with tomato, beans, or peppers Mexican. There is no Mexican dish like this so the dish is Mexican inspired.

    1. Irma – You’re absolutely right. I’m so sorry if this was offensive and guarantee you won’t find any recipes on my blog labeled this way moving forward.

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