I have been making variations of these Mexican-style stuffed peppers for years and finally put a recipe together to share because they’re so easy and delicious! And this is definitely one of those recipes where the leftovers seem to taste even better when you reheat the peppers.
MEXICAN-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS WITH QUINOA, CORN AND BLACK BEANS
This recipe features sweet red peppers stuffed with a meatless Mexican-style quinoa filling with corn, black beans, cilantro, salsa and more. I’ve been making this Mexican quinoa as a side dish for years and years and had the idea to stuff peppers with it one day and never looked back!
I have been buying the most gorgeous and flavorful red peppers at the farmers market from one of my favorite farmers, Bluebird Farm. I have also made this recipe with peppers from conventional grocery stores and while the recipe is great regardless, the farm fresh peppers really take it to the next level!
INGREDIENTS FOR MEXICAN-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS
- Red peppers – I have also used a blended bag with red, orange and yellow peppers and that was great but I don’t recommend green peppers in this recipe unless you just really like them.
- Quinoa – make sure you rinse it before use. I cook it just like rice with a 1:2 ratio for 20 minutes.
- Corn – I like fresh corn on the cob but you can also use canned or frozen corn.
- Black beans – drained but not rinsed
- Onions
- Garlic
- Salsa – I like fresh salsa but anything will work
- Cilantro
- Cumin
- Chili powder
- Lime – a squeeze of this will brighten up the quinoa mix beautifully
- Cheese – lots of types will work! I’ve used a Mexican shredded blend, pepper jack and colby jack.
- Salt
- Toppings of choice – I like blue corn tortilla chips, salsa, sour cream and cilantro. You could also do sliced avocado, hot sauce, a cilantro lime crema, sliced jalapeños, green onions…tons of options!
HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS IN THREE EASY STEPS
This stuffed pepper recipe is easy to assemble and there are three main steps:
- Cook corn, quinoa and parboil peppers while prepping the rest of the ingredients. This is a lot going on at once but it’s not hard. I bring a pot of water to a boil, put the corn in and then turn the heat off and let it sit and soften in the hot water while the quinoa cooks. The quinoa will steam for 20 minutes. You’ll bring another pot of water to boil and drop the peppers in for just 5 minutes so they can soften a bit before stuffing.
- Make the Mexican-style quinoa. This is just some onion sautéing and then adding in the cooked quinoa, corn, black beans and other ingredients and giving it a good stir.
- Stuff peppers, top with cheese, bake and enjoy!
The recipe I’m sharing today makes about six generously stuffed peppers. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd. I find that one of these peppers is filling if I have a lighter appetite or am eating them alongside chips or another side. I usually eat two as a dinner serving.
CAN YOU ADD MEAT TO THESE STUFFED PEPPERS?
Yes! I love this stuffed pepper dish as a meatless main but I love to add grass-fed beef from time-to-time. Ground turkey or chicken would be great too. You could even add shredded rotisserie chicken.
If I’m adding ground meat, I brown it with the onions and then drain before adding the quinoa, corn and other ingredients. Sometimes I swap the black beans for the ground meat and sometimes I put the black beans and the ground meat in together. This is a flexy, forgiving and customizable kind of recipe!
MEXICAN-STYLE STUFFED PEPPERS WITH QUINOA, CORN AND BLACK BEANS RECIPE
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Mexican-Style Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa, Corn and Black Beans
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Description
A recipe for red peppers stuffed with a meatless Mexican-style quinoa filling featuring quinoa, corn and black beans.
Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked (or 1 cup cooked if using ready-to-eat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup broth or water
2 ears of corn or 1 cup frozen or canned corn
3 large red peppers (or orange or yellow), sliced in half from stem to bottom and seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small sweet onion or half of a large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-oz) can of black beans, drained
1/2 cup fresh salsa or salsa of choice
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt to taste
1 cup shredded cheese or 6 slices of cheese (Mexican blend, colby jack, pepper jack, monterey jack, etc)
Toppings of choice
Instructions
PREP
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 11×7 or 13×9 rectangular baking dish by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
COOK THE QUINOA
Rinse quinoa and place in a pot with 1 cup of broth or water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce to very low heat. Cook for 20 minutes until fluffy.
COOK THE CORN
Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop two ears of corn in. Turn off heat and let set, covered, while quinoa cooks. When quinoa is done, remove from water and cool until you can handle to slice the kernels off the cob.
PARBOIL THE PEPPERS
Bring another pot of water to a boil and drop halved peppers in. Cook for 5 minutes and then gently remove from water using tongs, drain well and place in baking dish, cut side up.
MAKE THE MEXICAN-STYLE QUINOA
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add diced onions and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Allowing it to soften but not letting it burn. Add the cooked quinoa, corn, black beans, salsa, spices, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Mix everything until heated through and combined.
ASSEMBLE THE PEPPERS
Spoon a generous amount of the quinoa filling into each pepper. I like to smush it down with the back of the spoon to make sure it’s filling all crevices and really stuffed full! I also mound it over the top. Top with shredded cheese or cheese slices and bake for about 20-25 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly and a little browned.
Serve with toppings of your choice.
Notes
- You can add ground meat to this recipe by sautéing 1/2 pound of ground beef, turkey or chicken with the onions.
- This recipe can be easily doubled.
- Red, yellow and orange peppers work great but I would recommend avoiding green unless you just really like them.
- Delicious loaded up with toppings and served with blue corn tortilla chips.
- Leftovers are amazing!
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Hi Jen, I made these last night and even my carnivore husband loved them! Thanks for sharing.
Yes! I love to hear this!!!!!! And they are great with ground beef/turkey/chicken added if you ever decide to add meat for the carnivores! 🙂