• Making Mayo’s Recipes: Stuffed quinoa peppers

healthy vegetables, small stuffed peppers with quinoa and walnuts

Stuffed peppers are often made with ground meat. This meatless version is just as satisfying, thanks to a hearty mix of quinoa, walnuts, tomatoes and zucchini.

Each Thursday, one of the more than 100 video recipes from the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program is featured on the Mayo Clinic News Network — just in time for you to try over the weekend. You also can have the recipes delivered via the Mayo Clinic App.

These recipes are created by the executive wellness chef and registered dietitians at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. Find more recipes and other healthy living insights on the Mayo Clinic App.

Watch: Stuffed quinoa peppers

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:13) is in the downloads and the end of the post.

STUFFED QUINOA PEPPERS
Serves 4

2 large bell peppers, cut in half
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped zucchini
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
½  cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
½  teaspoon ground black pepper
½  teaspoon Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside. Heat a large saute pan to medium-high heat. Add oil, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, celery, walnuts, garlic and thyme. Reduce heat to medium after 2 minutes. Once vegetables are tender, add cooked quinoa, salt, pepper and cheese. Place the pepper halves on a baking sheet. Place ½ cup of the quinoa and vegetable mixture into each pepper half. Cover with foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes until peppers are cooked to desire.

Nutritional information per 1 pepper half: 313 calories; 13 g total fat; 3 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat; 9 mg cholesterol; 674 mg sodium; 38 g total carbohydrate; 7 g dietary fiber; 10 g total sugars; 13 g protein.