Quinoa stuffed peppers with a Thai flare! Loaded with protein-packed edamame and quinoa, veggies, all tossed in a delish peanut sauce! These make a great meal prep or quick dinner and are packed full of healthy protein, fats, and fiber!
Why you’ll love these quinoa stuffed peppers
Okay, there are a million stuffed pepper recipes out there but this one is a fun spin on the classic. I love Thai peanut sauce and knew I had to incorporate it into this recipe. It’s loaded with all the classic Thai salad mix-ins and the best peanut sauce, ever!
You can make this recipe even easier on yourself by using prepared quinoa or preparing a big batch of quinoa ahead of time. That way, it’s ready to go to throw in with the remaining filling ingredients. Or, you can cook it while you’re chopping/preparing the rest of the recipe!
They make a heathy dinner! They are packed full of veggies, healthy fats, and protein! So it’s a triple whammy.
They’re versatile. You can use whatever veggies you have on hand.
Can these fit any dietary need?
Yes! Here are a few options..
Soy free: Leave out the edamame and sub in lentils or another beans, if you wish.
Low-carb: Sub in cooked cauliflower rice for the quinoa.
Peanut-free: Use almond butter instead of peanut butter in the sauce.T
Can I add extra protein to the stuffed peppers?
Totally! You can mix in cooked ground beef, chicken, or turkey if you’re not vegan. For a vegan option, I love doing crumbled and cooked tempeh or tofu! However, even without adding anything, this recipe delivers a good punch of protein from the quinoa, hemp seeds, and edamame!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Bell peppers: Any color will work! Just make sure they’re large, so they’ll hold enough stuffing!
Quinoa: You can sub in brown rice, cauliflower rice, etc. You can make your life even easier by using store-bought prepared quinoa, etc. Just make sure whatever grain/sub you use, that it’s cooked prior to using it for the stuffing mix!
Edamame: I wanted to include extra protein in these peppers and love edamame – especially with Thai recipes! You can omit them, sub in hemp hearts, or whatever you’re feeling!
Veggies: I opted for spinach, shredded carrots and cabbage, but you can really use whatever you have on hand. Buying pre-shredded veggies can save you time on chopping!
Spice & Herbs: We use curry paste to spice things up a bit and add extra flavor. If you aren’t a fan, you can omit it! But it really elevates the recipe!
Peanut sauce: If you can’t have peanuts, feel free to sub in almond butter or sunflower seed butter for nut-free! Both work great.
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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large Bell peppers
- 2 cups prepared quinoa
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup edamame
- 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
- 1 cup cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 tbsp liquid or coconut aminos *or soy sauce
- 1/2 small lime
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- sea salt & pepper to taste
Peanut Sauce
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup warm water or unsweetened milk *to thin
- 3 tbsp liquid or coconut aminos *or soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp sriracha or 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Laying the peppers on their sides, cut the tops off, leaving the body of the pepper for stuffing. In a square baking dish, add the red peppers, cut side down, and bake for 20 minutes.
- In a medium pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and diced onion, cooking a few minutes until the onions have softened. Then add in the carrots and cabbage and cook 5 minutes longer.
- Add the coconut milk, curry paste, liquid aminos, seasonings, and lime juice. Give everything a good stir. Then mix in the quinoa, and chopped spinach. Cook 4-5 minutes until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed.
- Remove the peppers from the oven and flip them over to have the opening facing up. Divide the filling mixture amongst the peppers. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the peppers bake, make the peanut sauce by blending everything together. Taste and adjust as you'd like.
- Once the peppers are done baking, remove from the oven. Drizzle some of the peanut sauce over each, top with chopped cilantro, and a few extra chopped peanuts if you're feeling fancy. Enjoy!
I’m about to make but noticed the cook time says 6 hours 35 min…must be a typo 😜 Looks delish!