Stuffed peppers are a great way to get all of your food groups into one easy meal! I also like them because they’re a sneaky way to get veggies into picky eaters ;). The quinoa and ground beef in this recipe makes it a very filling and protein packed meal.
For those of you that haven’t tried quinoa before, it is a (very trendy) grain that can be found in the organic section or rice section of most supermarkets. It comes in white and red varieties. It is cooked similar to how rice is cooked and can be incorporated into a variety of breakfast, lunch or dinner recipes. What makes this grain unique from other grains is its protein content. Quinoa contains all essential amino acids – making it a complete protein.
Although you can cut your peppers however you would like for this recipe, I chose to cut them in half lengthwise rather than cutting the top off like traditional stuffed peppers. The other way always seems like an exceptionally big serving to me.
We liked this recipe! Overall it was pretty easy to make and only took about 45 minutes. We were also saying how we could adapt this recipe to be more of an Italian flavor rather than Southwest. Switching out the chili powder, cumin, and paprika for 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, using tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes, and Italian cheese rather than Mexican would be pretty simple substitutes for an equally delicious and healthy dinner.
Enjoy!
– Carly & Courtney
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