Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa-Mushroom Pilaf
This recipe is a veggie lover’s dream—vibrant, hearty, and brimming with nutrition. You get roasted peppers that turn irresistibly sweet in the oven, filled with a savory pilaf made from quinoa, mushrooms, white beans, and rainbow chard. The result? A plant-based dish filled with protein and fiber… that tastes like comfort food at its finest.
As a nutritionist, I love recipes that balance great taste with nourishment, and this one checks all the boxes. Between the complete plant-based protein from quinoa and beans, the earthy umami of mushrooms, and the vibrant greens, this dish delivers a satisfying mix of textures and nutrients.
If you love stuffed peppers as much as I do, try these other variations:
- Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers with Sunny Side Eggs
- Slow Cooker Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers with Tahini Drizzle
- Healthy Bell Pepper Pizzas
- Bell Pepper Tuna Melts
- Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos
This dish is beautiful—but peppers aren’t just a pretty face. One pepper delivers more than twice your daily needs for vitamin C. However, if you’re not a fan of peppers or want to save yourself some time, make the nutrient-packed filling as a standalone. I do it often, and it makes a super-delicious side or entrée. And hey, as the saying goes, “it’s what’s inside that counts!”
Try my Cheeseburger-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes next!
Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa-Mushroom Pilaf
Ingredients
- 3 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¾ cup dry quinoa
- 1 ¾ cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth, divided
- 2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch rainbow or Swiss chard, about 6 cups, stems and leaves separated, finely chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Mist a baking sheet with olive oil spray. Set aside.
- Slice the bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. Place the pepper halves on the baking sheet cut-side up and liberally mist with olive oil spray. Roast for 18 to 20 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven, leaving the peppers on the baking sheet, and set aside.
- While the bell peppers are in the oven, warm the oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa, stir to coat it in the oil, and toast for about 30 seconds. Add 11⁄2 cups of the broth and the thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the quinoa has puffed and the broth has absorbed. Remove the thyme sprigs and season with 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper.
- While the quinoa is simmering, liberally mist a large skillet with oil spray and warm over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the mush- rooms to a plate and set aside.Reapply oil spray to the skillet, add the onion, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly (mist with more oil spray if the pan becomes dry). Add the chard stems (reserving the leaves) and white beans and cook for 3 minutes, or until the chard stems start to soften. Add the chard leaves and cook, stirring, until the leaves wilt down. Fold in the cooked quinoa, cooked mushrooms, and nutritional yeast, add the reserved 1⁄4 cup broth, and season with the remaining 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper, plus additional if needed.
- Fill each pepper half with about 3⁄4 cup of the quinoa stuffing, lightly packing the stuffing down to make sure it does not fall out. Place the peppers back in the oven for about 5 minutes, until everything is heated through. Garnish with parsley.
What makes this delicious recipe so high in potassium?
Hi Linda! This dish is high in potassium because it’s built around beans, leafy greens, peppers, and whole grains, which are all foods that naturally supply potassium. If you wanted to modify it, you could swap the Swiss chard with finely chopped and sautéed zucchini or green cabbage, replace the white beans with extra firm tofu or simply reduce the amount to 1/2 cup, and consider using 2 peppers instead of 3.
That may change up the flavor profile of the recipe too much, so Joy recommends perusing her Kidney-Friendly recipes, which are all < 400 mg sodium, < 300 mg potassium, and <150 mg phosphorus per serving. Enjoy! — Eliza (Team Joy)