By DANA SPARKS
MAYO CLINIC NEWS NETWORK
Stuffed peppers are often made with ground meat. This meatless version is just as satisfying, thanks to a hearty mix of quinoa, walnuts, tomatoes and zucchini.
STUFFED QUINOA PEPPERS
Serves 4
- 2 large bell peppers, cut in half
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped zucchini
- 6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Parmesan cheese
Heat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside. Heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat. Add oil, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, celery, walnuts, garlic and thyme. Reduce heat to medium after 2 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, add cooked quinoa, salt, pepper and cheese. Place the pepper halves on a baking sheet. Place ½ cup of the quinoa and vegetable mixture into each pepper half. Cover with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes until peppers are cooked to desire.
Nutritional information per 1 pepper half: 313 calories; 13 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 9 mg cholesterol; 674 mg sodium; 38 g total carbohydrate; 7 g dietary fiber; 10 g total sugars; 13 g protein.
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View other low-fat recipes, such as Strawberry and Avocado Salsa, Low-Fat Caesar Salad Dressing and Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes, Squash and Broccoli, on Lakeland Regional Health’s blog page.