Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

What You’ll Need

• 1 cup quinoa

• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

• 6 small bell peppers (or 3 large), seeded and halved

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)

• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 small firm eggplant, half the skin trimmed, chopped

• 1 small to medium zucchini, seeded and chopped

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 fresh chile pepper (like Fresno), thinly sliced, or 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

• ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped

• 1 cup crumbled feta or ricotta salata cheese

Let’s Cook

Step 1 – Cook the Quinoa
In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and stock to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and quinoa turns translucent (12–15 minutes). Fluff with a fork and set aside (yields about 4 cups).

Step 2 – Roast the Peppers
Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange peppers cut-side down on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast until skins begin to char and peppers are just tender (about 20 minutes). Remove, cool, and place cut-side up in a baking dish. Reduce oven heat to 375°F.

Step 3 – Make the Veggie Mixture
Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and chile. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tender (10–12 minutes). Stir in parsley, mint, and tomatoes. Remove from heat, then fold in cooked quinoa.

Step 4 – Stuff & Bake
Fill each roasted pepper half generously with the quinoa-vegetable mixture. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. If prepping ahead, cover and chill until ready to bake.

When ready to serve, bake stuffed peppers at 375°F until heated through (about 15–20 minutes).

Step 5 – Finish & Serve
Top peppers with crumbled feta or ricotta salata and serve warm.