Feta and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is a colorful and delicious healthy dinner, full of Mediterranean flavors like lemon, parsley and feta.

This post was created in partnership with ALDI. All opinions are our own.

Creativity and food

“Are you considering becoming a creative person? Too late, you already are one. If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.” -Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic

When I was in kindergarten, I entered a coloring contest. It was about eating healthy foods. Since it was the 1980s, the approach at the time was all about the food pyramid. I drew a bunch of different “healthy” foods that I knew of in different categories: vegetables, dairy, meats, and so forth. My drawing ended up winning the kindergarten division, and it was displayed for all the school to see. The thing was, I was pretty uninspired with the whole thing. I drew it because it was an assignment. I did not feel creative about it in the least. The food pyramid seemed like a limiting set of rules set forth by the school and government. Cooking and eating healthy foods in my mind was B-O-R-I-N-G.

To this day, I have the same feeling about programs that try to tell me how to eat healthy. Lists and check boxes don’t work for me. What does work? Creative freedom. I love eating beautiful, colorful, delicious food. Lucky for me, eating whole foods can be the opposite of boring: they can be creative, delicious, inspired, fun, and interesting.

A creative approach to the kitchen

That’s why Alex and I learned just enough about whole foods eating to inform ourselves, and then we put our main focus on being creative, fun and inspired. We cook together and try to find the tastiest things we can dream up. Our kitchen is our workshop. After a long day at work, making something beautiful to eat is personally satisfying. We don’t do it because we have to or an app on our phone tells us it’s important. We do it because we love it, and it’s endlessly joy-filled.

Does taking a creative approach to food instead of a have-to approach speak to you? Let us know in the comments below.

How to make this quinoa stuffed peppers recipe

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is a new one we created as a creative way to eat your veggies. Multi-colored bell peppers are sliced open and roasted, then stuffed with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Roasting peppers is quite easy: it takes just 30 minutes and you can do it while preparing the remainder of the recipe. To make the quinoa filling in this stuffed peppers recipe, we sauteed shallot and garlic, then added the quinoa, chopped pistachios, parsley, paprika, oregano and lemon. We then stuffed the filling into the peppers and sprinkled everything with a healthy dose of feta cheese.

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe was created especially for ALDI using ingredients available at their stores. The stuffed peppers recipe is also over on the ALDI blog. The Hello, Healthy blog features healthy living resources including recipes, tips, meal plans, videos, and eating guides. We’re excited to be a part of getting the word out about the ALDI commitment to carry better-for-you ingredients and expand their affordable organic product offerings.

Related: Healthy Dinner Recipes

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this Mediterranean quinoa stuffed Pepper recipe, we’d love to hear how they turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks.

Looking for more easy Mediterranean recipes?

Aside from this Mediterranean quinoa stuffed peppers recipe, here are a few more of our favorite Mediterranean recipes:

• Mediterranean Rice Bowl
• Mediterranean Bulgur Salad (Tabbouleh)
• Mediterranean Loaded Veggie Sandwich
• Greek Nachos with Cilantro Drizzle
• All our Quinoa Recipes!

This recipe is…

This Mediterranean quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free. For plant-based, vegan, and dairy-free, omit the feta cheese.

Feta and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

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(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 1)

5 from 5 reviews

• Author: a Couple Cooks
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 4 to 6
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

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Description

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is a colorful and delicious healthy dinner, full of Mediterranean flavors like lemon, parsley and feta.

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Ingredients

• 6 multi-colored bell peppers
• 1 cup SimplyNature Organic Quinoa
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 medium shallots (1 cup chopped)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 3/4 cup chopped Southern Grove Shelled Pistachios
• 2 tablespoons SimplyNature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice plus zest from 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Wash the peppers and cut them in half lengthwise; remove the stems and seeds. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the peppers on top. Bake with the cut side down for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, flip to cut side up, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake another 15 minutes until tender.
3. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa (or use our Instant Pot quinoa method): Rinse the quinoa and drain it completely, then place it in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer where the water is just bubbling for 17 to 20 minutes until the water has been completely absorbed. (Check by pulling back the quinoa with a fork to see if water remains.) Turn off the heat and let sit with the lid on to steam for at least 5 minutes.
4. Mince the garlic, shallot and parsley. Chop the pistachios. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat, then stir in the cooked quinoa, pistachios, 1/4 cup parsley, paprika, oregano, lemon juice and zest, sea salt and black pepper. Taste and add another few pinches of salt to taste. Spoon the filling into the roasted pepper halves. Garnish with a small sprinkling of remaining parsley and feta cheese crumbles. Serve any additional filling on the side.

Keywords: quinoa stuffed peppers

About the Authors

Sonja Overhiser

Cookbook Author and writer

Sonja Overhiser is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best healthy cookbooks of 2018. She’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the food blog A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Sonja seeks to inspire adventurous eating to make the world a better place one bite at a time.

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Alex Overhiser

Cookbook Author and photographer

Alex Overhiser is an acclaimed food photographer and author based in Indianapolis. He’s host of the food podcast Small Bites and founder of the recipe website A Couple Cooks. Featured from the TODAY Show to Bon Appetit, Alex is author of Pretty Simple Cooking, named one of the best vegetarian cookbooks by Epicurious.

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