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Home » Recipes » Main Dish

Veggie Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Mar 6, 2012 by Kaitlin · 14 Comments

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This Veggie Stuffed Peppers recipe is made with a delicious mixture of black beans, quinoa, spinach, and colorful vegetables. They're nourishing and simple to make. Plus the leftovers reheat great! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

Plate of black bean and quinoa stuffed peppers with a fork

These black bean quinoa stuffed peppers with spinach are a comfort food classic but made healthier.

Each pepper half is generously filled with a flavorful, hearty mixture of black beans, fluffy quinoa, and colorful vegetables.

Plus they're fun to make and look so festive!

Preparation of stuffed pepper mixture cooking in a skillet with wooden spoon

Ingredients for Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

For this recipe you will combine in a baking dish then bake in the oven:

  • White quinoa: Quinoa is a great source of protein, fiber, and many other nutrients. It's also a complete protein which means it contains all nine essential amino acids. I like to use white quinoa for this recipe, but you could also substitute brown rice other other grain if desired.
  • Yellow onion: Or you can use white onion or sweet onion instead.
  • Fresh garlic cloves: Or substitute dried garlic powder.
  • Carrot: Or feel free to include other veggies such as corn, sweet potato, etc.
  • Bell peppers: Be sure to find 4 large bell peppers that have plenty of space for stuffing. Otherwise, opt for 5-6 small to medium bell peppers. You will remove the stem and inner membranes before stuffing.
  • Fresh baby spinach
  • Diced tomatoes: Either regular or fire-roasted work great.
  • Black beans: Or substitute another bean such as pinto beans or red kidney beans.
  • Ground cumin
Spoon filling bell pepper halves with quinoa and spinach mixture

Customizing

Make it cheesy: You can also add vegan cheese shreds or nutritional yeast for a cheesy version. Or simply drizzle your peppers with a non-dairy cheese sauce before serving.

Spices and seasoning: Change up the flavor with your own favorites. I enjoy the warmth of ground cumin, but you can stir in Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, chili powder, dried basil, dried oregano, etc.

Make it "meaty": Stir in your favorite vegan ground beef crumbles. Cook these separately according to package instructions, then stir it into the mixture before stuffing your peppers.

Serving

Add your favorite toppings before serving if desired. A few suggestions include:

  • Avocado or guacamole
  • Restaurant-Style Blender Salsa (or your own favorite salsa)
  • Hot sauce
  • Fresh cilantro or lime juice
  • Sliced green onions
  • Nutritional yeast

Storing

This recipe makes a large batch, so store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We find they keep for about 3-4 days.

The leftovers reheat great in the microwave. (We think they taste even better the next day after the flavors combine even further.)

Plate of vegan quinoa stuffed peppers with black beans and vegetables

For more inspiration, also browse all black bean recipes or quinoa recipes.

Plate of black bean and quinoa stuffed peppers with a fork

Veggie Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Colorful stuffed peppers made with beans, quinoa, and vegetables. Fun to make and filled with plant-based nutrients!
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Oil-Free, Vegan
Servings: 8 pepper halves

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup white quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium carrots
  • 4 large bell peppers* (I use one of each color)
  • 4 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (or fire-roasted)
  • 15 oz. can black beans
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin (or other seasoning)

Optional:

  • 1 cup vegan cheese shreds (or nutritional yeast to taste)
  • Guacamole/avocado, cilantro, salsa for serving

Instructions

  • Cook quinoa: Place 1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained) in a small saucepan with 3/4 cup water or vegetable broth. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare veggies: Dice onion, mince garlic, and grate/shred carrots.
  • Drain canned tomatoes, adding the tomato liquid to the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish. Set remaining diced tomatoes aside.
  • In an extra-large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion for 6-7 minutes. (I use 3 tablespoons water/broth for no-oil sauté method, adding more as needed.)
  • Add minced garlic and cumin. Stir and sauté 1 minute.
  • Add spinach (roughly chopped) and drained tomatoes. Stir.
  • When spinach is wilted, add black beans (rinsed and drained), cooked quinoa, and grated carrot. Stir and heat for 2 minutes. Salt/pepper if desired. (Optional: stir in 2/3 cup vegan cheese shreds to quinoa mixture, or nutritional yeast to taste.)
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove stems, seeds, and inner ribs. Fill each pepper half with a heaping amount of quinoa mixture. Pack it down well with a spoon to fill all the crevices*. Place filled peppers in baking dish on top of the tomato liquid.
  • Cover the dish with foil. Bake for 75 minutes. (To add cheese: After 1 hour of baking, remove foil and sprinkle peppers with remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Return to oven and bake uncovered 15 minutes.)
  • Drizzle with pan juices before serving. Serve with guacamole/avocado, salsa, nutritional yeast, etc. if desired.

Notes

*Peppers: If you can't find large bell peppers, use 5-6 small/medium peppers. You may have a little leftover quinoa mixture. It's great in a burrito or simply as a salad.
Nutrition: Estimated nutritional content is for each pepper half (without the optional cheese and toppings).
Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts
Veggie Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
Amount per Serving
Calories
140
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
1
g
2
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Potassium
 
703
mg
20
%
Carbohydrates
 
27
g
9
%
Fiber
 
8
g
33
%
Sugar
 
6
g
7
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
 
5869
IU
117
%
Vitamin C
 
93
mg
113
%
Calcium
 
90
mg
9
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.

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If you are enjoying this veggie black bean stuffed pepper recipe with spinach, also check out:

  • Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
  • Lentil Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Couscous Stuffed Peppers

Follow The Garden Grazer on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook for more updates and inspiration.

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Comments

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    Recipe Rating:




  1. Alexis says

    September 21, 2021 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    These are so good! We topped ours with fresh homemade guacamole.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin says

      September 21, 2021 at 3:01 pm

      That sounds perfect! Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
  2. Sister Sue says

    August 30, 2013 at 11:01 am

    Just had to post again to say how delicious and awesome this recipe is. It's one of my go-to recipes when I have time to spend a little extra prep making dinner, and I've served it to a few dinner guests and everyone always raves about the recipe. Got my sister hooked on these too. Often what I do is making the filling a day ahead of time (or couple days), refrigerate (could also freeze the filling for longer saving), then fill the peppers and bake whenever I'm ready to have them. Made the filling last night and I plan to bake them this weekend for dinner.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer says

      September 03, 2013 at 5:18 pm

      Great to hear from you again, Sue! What a fantastic idea making the filling ahead of time. Thanks for sharing your helpful feedback!

      Reply
  3. Sister Sue says

    July 22, 2013 at 4:16 pm

    I froze them for over a month and they still cooked up deliciously once defrosted! SO YUMMY!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer says

      July 23, 2013 at 3:37 pm

      That's great to hear. Thanks for the helpful feedback!

      Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    May 21, 2013 at 4:39 pm

    Made these and they were great! Think you could freeze them?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer says

      May 21, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      Awesome! I've never tried freezing but my best guess is they'd hold up well! Would love to hear if you try it out.

      Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    May 15, 2013 at 11:59 pm

    I made them today and they were so good! I somehow ended up with 2 pans with 4 bell pepper halves in each pan. I was able to send one of the pans over to my kids for their dinner. They are vegetarians and live near me. They LOVED it and were so thankful they didn't have to cook when they got home from work. Thanks again! Great recipe. This will become a regular in my menu rotation.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer says

      May 16, 2013 at 3:17 pm

      So sweet of you to send some to your kids! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  6. Elle Rickman says

    March 26, 2013 at 11:34 pm

    All I can say is "I made these, ate these and they're fabulous!" Oh, and thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer says

      March 27, 2013 at 3:04 pm

      Wonderful to hear, Elle!

      Reply
  7. Jeanne says

    February 21, 2013 at 12:54 am

    I just did those and they are AMAZING! Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin McGinn says

      February 21, 2013 at 2:34 am

      So glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply

Hello, I'm Kaitlin!
I live in Montana and share vegan recipes that are easy and healthy. About Me →

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