Roasted Chickpeas and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

5 from 9 votes

Roasted Chickpeas and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Jazz up your weeknight dinner into a tasty meal with these Roasted chickpeas and quinoa stuffed bell peppers. Sounds yum, right? Now imagine quinoa, toasted chickpeas, and cheddar cheese all nestled into a fresh bell pepper. Sinfully delicious and yum!

Prep: 10

Cook: 50

Total: 1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 350kcal

Author: Ruchi

Ingredients

PREPARE ROASTED CHICKPEAS

1 cup Chickpeas boiled and drained
1½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning or use Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Onion powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 teaspoons Dried Parsley
2 tablespoons Olive oil

PREPARE QUINOA

1 cup Quinoa
1¼ cup Water
¼ teaspoon Salt

ASSEMBLE BELL PEPPERS

6 medium Bell peppers
1 small Green Chili diced
½ cup Shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons Cilantro leaves chopped
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
¼ teaspoon Garlic Salt
½ teaspoon Onion powder
½ teaspoon Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Crushed chili flakes
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- - Salt to taste

TOPPINGS

1 cup Shredded Cheddar cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

PREPARE TOASTED CHICKPEAS

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine boiled and drained chickpeas with olive oil, onion powder, garlic salt, cajun seasoning, and dried parsley.
Toss to coat. Arrange the seasoned chickpeas on a greased baking tray.
Bake in a preheated oven on the lowest rack setting for 10-15 minutes until crispy- turning over once. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside.

PREPARE QUINOA

Rinse quinoa under running water until the water runs clear. Add the rinsed quinoa, water, and salt to the Instant Pot insert.
Close the Instant Pot lid and seal the Instant Pot. Press the 'Manual or pressure cook' button and cook the Instant Pot quinoa for 1 minute on HIGH. It will take somewhere about 5-6 minutes for the pressure to build, and then the countdown timer will begin.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, turn the steam valve to the venting position to release the remaining pressure.
When the pin drops, carefully open the lid.
Fluff quinoa with a fork and set aside.
Instant Pot fluffy quinoa is ready for stuffing.

ASSEMBLE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
While the chickpeas are cooking, let’s prepare the peppers. Wash the bell peppers. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and discard the seeds and membranes from the inside of the peppers. Spray the inside of bell peppers with oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Set them aside.
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, chickpeas, green chilies, cheese, cilantro, cumin, garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
Spoon the quinoa and roasted chickpea filling into each bell pepper groove.
Arrange the stuffed bell peppers in a 9×13 inch baking dish and generously sprinkle each bell pepper with extra cheese. Cover the peppers with aluminum foil.
Transfer the baking tray to the oven and cook for about 45 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is all melted and bubbly.
Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves, spring onions, and serve immediately.

Notes

Expert Tips to make the best Stuffed Peppers!

» Selecting bell peppers - Always hunt for the bell peppers that are a little fatty. These peppers have plenty of space on the inside, making it perfect for stuffing.

» The possibilities are endless - You can stuff hollow bell peppers with just about any filling you can think of, and they will still taste amazing! I have personally tried stuffing these peppers with -

white rice with minced chicken
Tex-Mex filling - beans and corn
Butternut squash and quinoa
Sweet potatoes, couscous, and cranberries.

» To avoid the cheese from getting too crispy during the cooking process, cover your baking dish tightly with foil. This way, peppers will be cooked throughout, and cheese will not become brittle.

» Serve a large gathering - Roasted chickpeas and quinoa stuffed bell peppers is a very versatile recipe and can easily be scaled up or down to accommodate a large crowd.

Nutrition