Last night I made these delicious grain free and gluten free stuffed peppers that were absolutely wonderful. I used quinoa as my filler instead of the traditional rice that is typically used when making stuffed peppers. A lot of people refer to quinoa as a grain, but technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it’s cooking characteristics. The name comes from the Greek words, chen (a goose) and pous (a foot). This is due to a resemblance of the leaves of the plant to the webbed foot of a goose. The leaves are lobed or toothed and often triangular in shape. The succulent like plant grows from 4 to 6 feet high and has many angular branches. The flower heads are branched and when in seed looks much like millet, with large clusters of seeds at the end of a stalk. The plant will grow in a variety of conditions but favors a cool, arid climate and higher elevations. Beets, spinach, Swiss chard, and lamb’s quarters are all relatives of quinoa.
I grew quinoa this past summer in my garden. To learn how to grow your own quinoa, you can read my gardening article here.
- 2 large peppers
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 small onion, diced
- 14.5 oz can organic fire roasted tomatoes and green chilies (can use fresh if desired)
- ⅓ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ cup raw cheese of choice
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tsp unrefined sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Halve peppers lengthwise, remove stem and seeds and immerse peppers into boiling water for 3 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels and sprinkle the inside of the pepper with some salt.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat turkey and onions till onions are tender and meat is cooked (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in uncooked quinoa, water, undrained tomatoes and chilies, worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes.
- Remove lid and add ¼ cup raw cheese.
- Fill peppers with meat mixture and put in a 8x8x2 pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese (1/4 cup) and put back into oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
I’ve made both of your stuffed peppers recipes now, and this is my favorite of the two–although I usually use grass-fed ground beef. Yum is right!
I bought peppers this past weekend with stuffed peppers in mind. We prefer the quinoa. : )
Ok feeling stupid here…but isn’t quinoa a grain?
no it is a seed Tina…it sometime is labeled as a grain, but it actually is a seed..A lot of people refer to quinoa as a grain, but technically quinoa is not a true grain, but is the seed of the Chenopodium or Goosefoot plant. It is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it’s cooking characteristics.
Tina, it also has more protein than grains…
Thanks Halle!
@ Jan Martin Whitlinger, that’s what I like about it, they call it a complete whole food, love the stuff don’t cook it often enough though still learning things to do with it. I will have to try Halle’s peppers with it. Right now I am racking my brain for proteins for friday meals & I tend to forget about quinoa
Can you do fish on Fridays Tina?
Yes but I do that for dinner, thinkin more about breakfast and lunch, I do have a quinoa salad that I can do for lunch, just have to get my protein in my meals 🙂
oh, these look good! Hopefully I will have some time this weekend to make some. 🙂
I made these the other night with beef instead of turkey. (i didn’t feel like buying perdue) They were delicious. Can’t wait to have some leftovers!
[email protected] great, so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
What a fabulous dinner recipe! I am featuring this fantastic dish this week on Allergy Free Wednesdays!
[email protected] you so much for the feature! My family loves this recipe! I hope you and your viewers enjoy it as much as we do. Again, thanks so much for sharing this 🙂 Halle
Your Quinoa Stuffed Peppers look so good! What a delicious and satisfying meal! I also enjoyed learning more about quinoa.