I volunteer to cook at a local shelter once a month with a group from church. I’ve typically signed up for side dishes and desserts, but this time I signed up to make the main dish. After almost running out of time with my roasted potatoes last time, I wanted to make something that would be reasonably easy to assemble. These were fairly easy to make, and I was able to make 86 of them by myself in 2 hours (including all prep work of halving and gutting 43 peppers).

When I was thinking about what to stuff the peppers with, I was thinking about ground beef. I knew I needed something else to mix with the beef. I thought about rice, but ultimately ended up with quinoa because I thought it would have a good texture to go with the ground beef. The peppers were a hit, and lots of people came back for seconds. I will definitely be making these again at home, and I will probably add spinach to the filling.

This is a good low-cost meal because the quinoa makes a good filler to go with the beef. It’s filling, has a good texture, but isn’t as expensive as ground beef. Excluding the salt-free all purpose seasoning, garlic powder, and salt, this recipe was less than $1.50 per serving. I calculated this price based on ingredients to make 6 whole peppers, not the mega-sized recipe where I saved for buying ingredients in bulk.

This recipe is in my blog’s gluten free category, but check the all-purpose seasoning you’re using to make sure it’s gluten free. If it’s not, substitute your preferred combo of any of the following: oregano, thyme, parsley, celery seed, paprika).

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Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa, Ground Beef, & Basil

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers

Servings: 6 people

Cost: $1.50 per serving

Equipment

• Baking dish

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 bell peppers
• 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp salt-free all purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
• Water

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°, or 350° convection.
• Place diced onion in a large mixing bowl, and stir in basil, salt-free all purpose seasoning, and garlic powder. Set aside.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a large pot.
• Meanwhile, begin cooking ground beef over medium heat.
• When the beef is fully browned, remove it from the pan and let it sit in a bowl with paper towels to absorb the extra fat.
• The water should be boiling by now. Add the quinoa to the water.
• Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
• While the quinoa is simmering, prep the pepper halves by cutting them in half, removing the stems, and scooping out the remaining seeds and membrane with a spoon. Set peppers aside.
• Remove the ground beef from its bowl (blot with more paper towels if needed) and add it to the bowl with the onions. Stir to combine.
• Stir in the can of tomatoes and salt.
• When the quinoa is done, add it to the bowl and stir. It can be a bit clumpy, so make sure to mix it well.
• Taste the filling and adjust seasonings if needed.
• Use a spoon to fill each pepper half with filling.
• Line peppers up in a baking dish.
• Top each pepper with cheese.
• Fill the dish with a little bit of water (enough to cover the bottom of the pan).
• Cover with foil and cook for about 20 minutes (15 minutes for convection).
• Remove foil and cook until cheese begins to brown, about another 10 minutes.

Notes

This recipe is in my blog’s gluten free category, but check the all-purpose seasoning you’re using to make sure it’s gluten free. If it’s not, substitute your preferred combo of any of the following: oregano, thyme, parsley, celery seed, paprika).