Friday, June 8, 2012

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

This post almost didn't happen.  I almost walked into a serious cooking failure yesterday!

Bri invited some of his family over for dinner and I had a whole meal all planned out: fish tacos, vegetarian stuffed peppers, scalloped tomatoes, and berry bread pudding for dessert.

Everything was going according to plan.  I had the bread pudding all done, my mom was in charge of the tomato dish, and I was going to get the fish tacos and peppers together after my camp meeting.  About an hour before I needed to leave for my camp meeting, I took a peek at the recipe for the peppers.  Prep time: about 25 minutes, cook time...3-4 HOURS!

Holy cow! I had a minor heart attack when I noticed that the peppers were cooked in a slow cooker for about 4 hours.  Then, after several calming breaths, I realized that this was FANTASTIC since I love using my slow cooker.  I'm pretty sure that I've never had a bad dish out of a slow cooker and the dishes are always so simple! I quickly threw the peppers together, stuck them in my slow cooker (which I may or may not have named Sheila) and then went to my meeting! They turned out so good and they are definitely going to be a staple in my life from here on out.  There's absolutely nothing bad about this recipe: quinoa, beans, veggies, and cheese.  This dish is perfect as a yummy side, or even a light dinner!

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers (adapted from Taste of Home)



Ingredients:
6 large red peppers
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup monterey jack cheese, cubed
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 small, sweet onion, chopped
3 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup water
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions. Cut off the tops of the pepper and remove the seeds.
2. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, corn, beans, onion, tomato, cubed cheese, and basil.  Toss with salt and pepper.  Stuff the peppers.
3. Mix the marinara sauce and water together in a small bowl and place half in a 5-6 quart slow-cooker.  Place stuffed peppers in the slow-cooker and pour the rest of the marinara mixture over the tops.  Sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan over the peppers.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Serve with more parmesan if desired.
Enjoy :)

This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!

19 comments:

  1. Yum! The fact that they are in the crock pot is a huge bonus, they look delicious!

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  2. I have never cooked stuffed peppers in my slow cooker. I will have to give these a try because I love stuffed peppers (especially stuffed with quinoa) but I hate heating the oven in the summer.

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    1. Right? It's perfect! Healthy, easy, and delicious!

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  3. i've never even thought about doing stuffed peppers in the slow cooker - great idea!

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    1. My mom sent me the recipe when she saw it in a magazine. I gotta give her credit for spotting this!

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  4. I never see vegetarian stuffed peppers, so thank you! Plus I love that they're made in the slow cooker. They look crazy good!

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    1. Thanks :) They were really yummy and I loved how easy they were!

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  5. This is a unique veggie dish! While we all stuff beef in there most of us missed the boat with putting just some delicious veggies inside. I have also had the dilemma of the too much time on a planned recipe that I overlooked, however mine was not saved by the slow cooker. I am sure everyone loved these peppers-yum!

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    1. It was pretty scary, but I'm glad everything turned out okay! Thank you for your kind comments :)

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  6. Do you know I just tried stuffed peppers up at college for my bf and me and I loved them; but I often don't have meat so this would be WONDERFUL for when I'm short on cash but still want to indulge in some comfort food. :D

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    1. I agree! I'm also in college and I think it would be perfect for an easy weeknight meal!

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  7. I always fail to look at those details when I'm choosing recipes! I'm glad it worked out. Thanks for linking up on my blog hop!

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    1. Thank you for the opportunity! It was my first blog hop :)

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  8. These look amazing! Never thought of doing stuffed peppers in the slow cooker before but it's a great idea :)

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    1. Thanks! I just love slow-cooker recipes..especially in summer when I don't want to spend a ton of time in a warm kitchen!

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  9. These peppers look great! I love the slow cooker! I'd like to invite you to link this up at our Gluten Free Fridays party: http://vegetarianmamma.com/glutenfreefridays-11-link-up-your-favorite-glutenfree-recipes/
    You don't have to be a GF blogger, just as long as the recipe is GF! We'd love to have you! :)
    Cindy

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  10. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I have NEVER made stuffed peppers!! This looks like the first recipe I am going to try. Thanks for linking it up at Foodie Friends Friday! :)

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  11. Does the minced garlic go in the pepper mix or sauce?

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