Quinoa and Beef Stuffed Peppers

I love “stuffed” dishes. Stuffed artichokes, stuffed chicken breast, stuffed cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, etc. Whatever kind of stuffed dish is usually homey, comforting, and filling. The process of making it is also usually a little labor-intensive which can mean you can do it with your family while chatting and catching up on the day. One of my good friends gave me some pupusas a few weeks ago. And I am totally going to learn how to make that one day soon. It’s just basically another stuffed dish. Yum…

Ingredients:

5-6 bell peppers (I always choose red, orange, or yellow peppers because to me the green ones are bitter. But feel free to use green ones if you don’t mind them)
1-1.5 cup chopped onion
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1.5 cup cooked quinoa
Taco seasoning of your choice (I usually don’t use pre-made seasonings but it actually worked really well in this recipe. Instructions on the brand I used says add 6 tablespoons for 1 lb. of ground beef so I recommend that you follow the instructions on the packaging that you have on hand)
1 tsp. Trader Joe’s chile lime seasoning blend
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped fine-ish (optional for you folks who think cilantro tastes like soap)
1 lb. Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F and prep your bell peppers. I cut about 0.5-0.75 inch off the top and take out the ribs and seeds. Don’t throw away the tops, cut around the stem and then chop them to about 0.5-inch dice. If your peppers are lop-sided, slice some off the bottom so that they can sit upright in your baking dish.
Put the peppers in an oven-safe dish, drizzle some oil, salt, and pepper on the inside of the peppers. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until they soften a bit. The first time I made this dish, I didn’t pre-bake them so the end result was still pretty raw peppers. If that’s your thing, then go for it but we prefer them softer/more cooked.
While the peppers bake, heat up a skillet (cast iron if you have it because this will give you some nice char) on high heat. Drizzle some oil and toss in the diced peppers. Saute for a few minutes, then toss in the chopped onions. Saute for another few minutes, and then toss in the garlic. Season with salt and pepper, then when the peppers and onion are soft, remove from heat and set aside in a large bowl.
Keep the skillet on high heat, drizzle a little bit more oil and then put in the ground beef. Make sure you leave the beef alone for a minute or two so you get a nice browning. Stir around and when you see that they’re about halfway cooked, add in your taco seasoning. The one we have at home is Ortega brand and it makes me cringe a bit when I see that the first ingredient is yellow corn flour. But I suppose it helps with thickening? Instructions on the bottle says to add some water and let it cook off but I left out the water because I wanted a more intense flavor. Mix the beef and seasoning well, and cook for a few more minutes until the beef is fully cooked. Remove from heat and add to the peppers and onion mixture in the bowl. Set aside.
Keep skillet on medium high heat, drizzle a bit more oil and then toss in the cooked quinoa. If you cook your own quinoa, you may see some leftover water/liquid so this is meant to evaporate extra moisture and to add some toasty-ness/nutti-ness to the quinoa. Sprinkle the chile lime seasoning and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, remove from heat, and then… you’ve guessed it! Add it to the big bowl with peppers, onions, and beef. If you are using cilantro, add them in to the bowl as well. Toss the entire thing to mix well.
I like making some layered stuffing here, so I put in the beef mixture about one-third of the way in the peppers, then add some shredded cheese. Add more beef mixture and fill up to the top of the peppers. Then top with more cheese. After all the peppers are stuffed, return them to the 400°F oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Everything is cooked so this part of cooking is making sure everything is re-heated properly and the cheese is melting. At the end of cooking time, I like to sprinkle a little more cheese on top and then broil them to get some crisp cheese crust. Enjoy!