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)
Recipe, photos, and post updated April 2018. Originally posted March 2012.Â
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…)
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*Â recommend making your own enchilada sauce. It’s completely delicious and just the right amount of spicy!
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.
CRAVING MORE? YOU MIGHT ALSO LOVE…
- How to Cook Quinoa
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce (This is THE BEST!)
- Confetti Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- Spring Roll Quinoa Salad
- Mexican Zucchini Boats – Another great way to fit in more veggies with a Tex-Mex twist!
Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans
- 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
- 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
- 1–2 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
Found this on Pinterest and the whole family loved it. Will be making these again!! Thanks for sharing
These were delicious! Thanks!!
These were great. Question about freezing them. When you go to cook them do you thaw first or just toss them in the microwave frozen?
Julee – you can do either. If you cook them frozen, I’d toss them in the oven and then you’ll just need to cook them a bit longer. If you microwave them, just cook them till they’re warmed through. When I’m making a freezer meal, I usually pull it out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator in the morning and then pop it in the oven that evening. Do whatever works best for you!
HOLY CRAP! I made these today. They were perfection. Thank you!
Donna – THANK YOU! I loved them too!
What is guinoa??..and what section do I find it in the store???….Looks interesting!!!
Lisa – quinoa is a small, protein-packed seed that acts just like a grain (i.e. rice). My regular grocery store carries it in the health food section, and my healthier grocery store keeps it in bulk bins or by the rice and beans. Best of luck!
These were delicious!!
Kathy- Thank you! I’m glad they turned out for you!
My husband and I loved this!!! Thank you for such a great recipe, I have already made this for dinner twice in the last several weeks. I think it is going to be a staple dish at our house!
Beth – Thank you! I appreciate the positive feedback. We loved them too!
I made this last night and it was a hit with all of the adults! Delish!
I was wondering if you knew how many calories are in a serving?
Crystal – It’s a homemade recipe, but using the Spark People recipe calorie calculator, one serving (the recipe makes 8) would be around 250-275 calories. That’s including cheese and the homemade enchilada sauce recipe. Hope that helps! Another reader also calculated that the recipe is about 6 weight watchers points plus. I haven’t checked that (I don’t follow Weight Watchers), but there it is just the same 🙂
I made these over the weekend for the boyfriend and I. OMG they are amazing. I did however use white rice and green salsa instead of the enchilada sauce and quinoa. I’m still kind of nervous about trying quinoa. Overall, I will be making these again.
We tried these tonight and they were delicious! I had everything I needed except the cilantro. Next time I’ll make sure I have some but we really enjoyed them anyway. I can see making these into a freezer meal too like some of the others suggested. Thanks for the recipe.
I love love this recipe, and i will use quinoa whenever a recipe calls for rice!!!!:)
You inspired me to try quinoa! I’m really digging it :). I added a little bit of chicken for my picky family, but kept everything else the same. Fantastic! Can’t wait to make these again!
Made those today and we all loved them! First time i used quinoa and we all love it. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe with us! I did add a little lemon juice and cayenne pepper to the filling for a little spice.
Made these tonight for dinner and they were AMAZING! We did add ground turkey and taco seasoning, but this is the first time we ever made quinoa and we were blown away. Thanks so much for sharing this! 🙂