Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers
Eat the rainbow with stuffed bell peppers! Enjoy this Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers recipe, a healthy weeknight meal.
Perfect for dinner tonight, these Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers. Also delicious as leftovers the next day for lunch! If you love mini peppers, give these Tasty Taco Mini Stuffed Peppers a try – delish as an appetizer or a light meal.
Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers
We love this easy weeknight meal. Especially with summer peppers, this makes the easiest dinner to get on the table in no time. Let’s get started with these simple ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Chicken Italian sausage links (I buy at Trader Joe’s)
- Onion + garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooked quinoa
- Grated mozzarella cheese blend
- Diced tomatoes
- Large bell peppers (use a variety of colors)
- Juice of 1 lime
- Toppings: sour cream and cilantro
Cheesy Quinoa Peppers
Enjoy these stuffed peppers for a lovely weeknight meal.
Make ahead, following all the steps to the very end. Step away from the kitchen, and then back to broiling the cheese on top; ready to serve!
Easy, peasy!
How do you make quinoa?
Easy way to make quinoa is in the rice cooker on “white rice” setting. 1:1 ratio; 1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water!
How to make Cheesy Stuffed Quinoa Peppers
You can grab the full recipe (print off) below, but here’s how to make the cheesy peppers!
- Precook the quinoa according to package directions (or follow my tips).
- Place the peppers in a 9×13 pan, cut sides facing up, and bake.
- In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
- Add the chicken sausage, breaking apart with a spatula, and cook. Drain off the fat; season with Italian seasoning.
- Add in the cooked quinoa, drained tomatoes, and some cheese to the meat mixture; salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook through and add the fresh squeezed lime; stir more.
- Remove the peppers from the oven; drain off any liquid. Switch the heat over to BROIL.
- Divide the meat into each pepper half; sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the peppers. Place the peppers back into the 9×13 pan.
- Broil until cheese is melted on top.
Add our favorite toppings, like sour cream, fresh herbs, salsa, or even guacamole!
Oh, and these are delicious if you need to reheat them. We just zap in the microwave, but you can also reheat in the oven.
3 minute exercise to enjoy nature, and then come back to cheesy peppers!
On a beautiful day, our family of 5 walked up to a nearby landing, to enjoy the view with the kids. As we enjoyed watching our puppies running around, my husband slowed us down and set his watch for 3 minutes.
Here, for 3 minutes, the 5 of us sat in silence, overlooking nature.
Let me just say, this was the best 3 minutes. Thoughts became brighter, and my heart became more joyful. The quieter you become, the more you can hear! Our world, spinning so fast around us, but when we slow down, God speaks in the silence of the heart.
It may seem small, but that was a little gift I was given on this day. Even on family walks, there’s so much commotion, as we’re all talking, having fun, laughing, meeting other people on the path, constantly chatting about our dogs (ha), and just having fun as a family! This is an exercise I think families need more of!
I love how simple family meals can be, and honestly, when we’re all loving each other and having fun together, there’s so much appreciation for the good things in life.
Food is one of those good things!
ENJOY!
More stuffed pepper recipes to try:
Taco-Stuffed Peppers Recipe [with VIDEO + awesome if you love tacos!]
Low-Carb Sausage Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Peppers [Kalyn’s Kitchen]
Baked Eggs in Stuffed Peppers [Foodie Crush]
Get the Recipe:
Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 pound chicken Italian sausage links, about 6 links, casing removed. (I buy at Trader Joe’s)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, I use DeLallo
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese blend, I buy “lite” from Trader Joe’s, divided
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed (use a variety of colors)
- Juice of 1 lime
Toppings:
- Sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Precook the quinoa according to package directions.
- Place the peppers in a 9x13 pan, cut sides facing up, and bake until tender, 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chicken sausage, breaking apart with a spatula, and cook until cooked through, 5-6 mintues. Drain off the fat; season with Italian seasoning.
- Add in the cooked quinoa, drained tomatoes, and 1 cup cheese to the meat mixture; salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes; add the fresh squeezed lime; stir more.
- Remove the peppers from the oven; drain off any liquid. Switch the heat over to BROIL.
- Divide the meat into each pepper half; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top of the peppers.
- Place the peppers back into the 9x13 pan.
- Broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted on top!
- Serve hot with sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Oh my goodness these were delicious but when do you recommend adding the garlic? Didn’t see where to add it and I forgot about it lol so I just added after the diced tomatoes .. this came out absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing!!!
With the onion! ENJOY!
When do you add the diced tomatoes?
Hi, Katie. You add the tomatoes in with the quinoa and cheese to the meat mixture! I aadded that into the directions :) Thanks!
I didn’t see when the diced are to be added in recipe steps.
Hi, Maria. You add the tomatoes in with the quinoa and cheese to the meat mixture! I aadded that into the directions :) Thanks!
Hi, Sandy!
‘Always love the family photos and outings :)
I’d like to request that you provide the nutrional breakdown of your dishes ~ I think most of us would be very appreciative!
Thanks,
LeAnn
oh how true that is….to take time to really listen. On days when I have moments where I’m the only one home….I turn off the TV, turn off the music and just let silence be present. Or driving in the car, sometimes I just crave silence. Even if I’m on the computer, there’s just something about silence that brings a calm and a rest to my spirit.
these peppers look yummy too. :)
Me, too. Love working in silence :)
I just chose my word of 2018 this week and shared it on my blog. I encouraged my readers to share their words as they started creating them. One of the words chosen was “listen”. This activity is perfect for truly listening! I already shared it with her to try. I’m always excited to read through your posts and hear all your words of wisdom. I want to be like you when I grow up! :)
That’s a great word. Now it has me thinking :) Happy New Year Tiffany!