Stuffed Bell Peppers with Beef and Quinoa - Dr. Axe

Beef and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

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Stuffed bell peppers recipe - Dr. Axe

I love cooking with bell peppers because they are extremely versatile and chock-full of essential nutrients. In fact, one serving of my stuffed bell peppers recipe contains way over 100 percent of your recommended daily value of vitamin C! That means that this recipe, while tasting delicious, is working to boost your immunity system, skin and eye health, and it’s helping you to fight disease caused by oxidative stress. That’s pretty incredible!

You’re going to love my stuffed bell peppers recipe because it’s completely gluten-free and high in protein. Plus, it contains a lot of antioxidants. Not only are you getting antioxidants from the bell peppers, but this recipe includes beneficial herbs and spices like cilantro, garlic, cumin, paprika and chili powder.

Health Benefits of Bell Peppers

Did you know that bell peppers are packed with a ton of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants? Bell peppers are referred to as “sweet peppers” because they don’t contain capsaicin, the component that gives most peppers and chilis their spicy taste. So, if you’re not into spicy foods, you can still enjoy this stuffed bell peppers recipe and take advantage of its nutritional content and benefits.

Stuffed bell peppers ingredients - Dr. Axe

Some of the top health benefits of bell pepper nutrition are possible because of the antioxidants that are present in peppers, including lutein and zeaxanthin. These powerful antioxidants work to reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, improve your eye and skin health and support your immunity. Eating bell peppers will also help you to maintain good mental health and promote a healthy pregnancy. (1)

Nutrition Facts

One stuffed bell pepper made using this recipe contains roughly the following (2, 3, 4, 5, 6):

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Stuffed bell peppers step 1 - Dr. Axe
  • 274 calories
  • 16 grams protein
  • 11 grams fat
  • 29 grams carbohydrates
  • 5 grams fiber
  • 6 grams sugar
  • 146 milligrams vitamin C (195 percent DV)
  • 0.6 milligrams vitamin B6 (53 percent DV)
  • 1052 IUs vitamin A (45 percent DV)
  • 1 microgram vitamin B12 (44 percent DV)
  • 0.3 milligrams riboflavin (35 percent DV)
  • 3.3 milligrams niacin (24 percent DV)
  • 0.2 milligrams thiamin (22 percent DV)
  • 67 micrograms folate (17 percent DV)
  • 15 micrograms vitamin K (17 percent DV)
  • 0.8 milligrams vitamin B5 (16 percent DV)
  • 60 milligrams choline (14 percent DV)
  • 1.6 milligrams vitamin E (11 percent DV)
  • 0.8 milligrams manganese (48 percent DV)
  • 3.5 milligrams zinc (45 percent DV)
  • 315 milligrams phosphorus (45 percent DV)
  • 0.3 milligrams copper (39 percent DV)
  • 92 milligrams magnesium (30 percent DV)
  • 413 milligrams sodium (28 percent DV)
  • 11 micrograms selenium (20 percent DV)
  • 3.4 milligrams iron (19 percent DV)
  • 137 milligrams calcium (14 percent DV)
  • 626 milligrams potassium (13 percent DV)
Stuffed bell peppers step 2 - Dr. Axe

In addition to the bell peppers, here’s a quick glance at some of the top health benefits associated with the other ingredients in my stuffed bell peppers recipe:

  • Grass-fed beef: Grass-fed beef contains omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, which has been shown to promote body fat reduction and fight disease. Eating healthy fats, like grass-fed beef, can reduce your risk of heart disease and improve your blood sugar levels. I always choose organic, grass-fed beef because it’s free of hormones and antibiotics, and raising grass-fed beef is better for the environment too. (7)
  • Quinoa: Quinoa is a gluten-free grain that supplies antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and protein. In fact, it’s one of the few grains that contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Quinoa benefits come from the presence of bioflavonoids, which play a role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and cancer. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like riboflavin, magnesium and iron. For all of these reasons and more, quinoa is considered a superfood that can be added to so many recipes to boost the nutritional content. (8)
  • Cilantro: Cilantro is a great source of vitamins A, C, E and K and minerals like calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. Eating cilantro benefits your heart because it helps to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps to detoxify the body, facilitating the elimination of toxic metals that can lead to health issues like hormonal imbalances, neurological conditions and heart disease. (9)

How to Make Beef and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

To make these tasty and super healthy stuffed bell peppers, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside while you get your ingredients together.

Stuffed bell peppers step 3 - Dr. Axe

Next, in a large bowl, combine ½ pound of cooked, grass-fed ground beef, 3 cups of cooked quinoa, a 4-ounce can of green chiles, ½ cup of diced, fire-roasted tomatoes, ½ cup of shredded goat cheese, ¼ cup of crumbled goat feta cheese, 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro leaves, 1 teaspoon each of cumin and garlic powder, ½ teaspoon each of onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika and black pepper and about ¼ teaspoon of sea salt.

Stuffed bell peppers step 4 - Dr. Axe

Spoon the mix of ingredients into each bell pepper, filling the pepper to the top. Then place each pepper on your baking dish and sprinkle on a little more cheese.

Stuffed bell peppers step 5 - Dr. Axe

Bake the peppers for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are tender. You’ll notice that they get a little wrinkly… that’s a good thing!

Stuffed bell peppers recipe - Dr. Axe

And just like that, your stuffed bell peppers are ready. I like to serve mine with plain goat yogurt, salsa and chopped green onions for some added texture. You can also eat them as is, and they will be perfectly delicious. Enjoy!

Stuffed bell peppers recipe - Dr. Axe

Total Time

40 minutes

Serves

6

Diet Type

Ingredients:

  • ½ pound grass-fed ground beef, cooked
  • 3 cups quinoa, cooked
  • One 4-ounce can green chiles
  • ½ cup diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
  • ½ cup shredded goat cheese
  • ¼ cup crumbled goat feta
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼–½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 bell peppers, tops cut, stemmed and seeded

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine cooked beef and quinoa, green chiles, tomatoes, cheeses, cilantro, cumin, garlic, onion, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
  4. Spoon the filling into each bell pepper.
  5. Place on prepared baking dish and sprinkle on more cheese if desired.
  6. Bake for about 25–30 minutes, or until peppers are tender.
  7. Serve topped with plain goat yogurt, salsa and chopped green onions.

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15 Comments

  1. Mary on

    My husband typically refers to quinoa as birdseed t had to admit he REALLY liked it in this recipe and ate two of them 👏🏻👏🏻 I used a jar of home canned “Rotel” style tomatoes instead of the green chilies and tomatoes, forgot the cilantro – they were still delicious!!

    Reply
  2. Mary on

    I make stuffed peppers often, but , i like to use red peppers instead, they give a sweeter flavor,,

    also cut big peppers in half, side ways, makes twice as many,,and some may not eat a whole pepper..

    thanks for the new flavor of goat cheeses, can’t wait to try…

    Reply
  3. Maxine on

    I do a meatless version for giggles with black beans, mexi rice (have used quinoa, too), tomatoes and cheeses. It’s a huge hit even in family of meat eating guys! Big on flavor.

    Reply
  4. Cynthia on

    Because of the water content in bell peppers, I wondered how you freeze them for reheating throughout the year, as you indicated in your intro?

    Reply
    • Catherine Hurd on

      Peppers freeze nicely and need no blanching. I’ve been freezing stuffed peppers for 28 years. I will try this recipe soon. I also chop up sweet peppers and freeze them on a baking sheet. After they are frozen I put them into a container in the freezer for easy grabbing when cooking. x

      Reply
    • Marie Parker on

      this meal has to be diabetic friendly there are no carbs at all quinoa is classed as a grain and yummy vegetables ive been a diabetic for twenty years now and this is how i eat now very low carbs and nearly no sugar

      Reply

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