Tuscan White Bean, Spinach, and Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers

I’m kicking off a Clean Eating Adventure here on Destination Delish. Over the next 2 weeks I’ll be posting healthy, vegan, and gluten-free recipes.

First up are these Tuscan White Bean, Spinach, and Quinoa Stuffed Red Peppers. Any recipe for a stuffed vegetable is a winner in my book. Not only is the presentation beautiful, but they’re fun to prepare and eat. The one downside is that they might be labor-intensive. But not true of this recipe! Saute the filling, cut the peppers, spoon in the filing, bake and in 30 minutes you’ll have a very impressive dish.

Sidebar: check out this awesome Christmas present from my mom!

This dish is completely customizable! The filling ingredients happen to be pantry and fridge staples for me so there was no additional grocery shopping trips necessary for this recipe. However, I think I sent my husband back to the grocery store twice over the weekend for other forgotten ingredients for upcoming recipes. Happens every time I cook! If you don’t have these ingredients on hand, here are some substitution ideas:

• White beans: black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, lentils
• Spinach: kale, radicchio, collard greens, arugula
• Quinoa: rice
• Red peppers: eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini

Be sure to still include the lemon and Italian spices for that Tuscan flavor. The savory and tangy filling pairs perfectly with the sweet red bell pepper. These peppers can be eaten as a snack or as a meal for lunch or dinner. I included nutrition information for each option. Enjoy!

Tuscan White Bean, Spinach, and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Author: Krista

Serves: 4 or 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp rosemary
• 5 cups fresh spinach, packed (or 1 package frozen)
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• ⅔ cup white beans
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• Juice of half lemon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 red bell peppers
• Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes until softened. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt.
3. Add the garlic, thyme, and rosemary and cook for another minute.
4. Add the spinach to the mix and cook about 2 minutes until wilted.
5. Add the white beans, tomato, quinoa, and lemon juice to the mixture. Stir until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take mixture off the heat.
6. Cut each pepper in half vertically. Remove the veins and seeds.
7. Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray.
8. Fill each pepper half with the mixture, portioning out an equal amount among all 8 pepper halves.
9. Place the stuffed peppers in the casserole dish.
10. Bake for 30 minutes.
11. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

Serving size: 2 stuffed peppers
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 270 Fat: 3.4g Carb: 48.5g Fiber: 11.4g Protein: 14g Sugar 8.3g Sodium: 83mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 6 Points Plus

Serving size: 1 stuffed pepper
Nutrition Information (per serving) from Caloriecount.about.com
Calories: 135 Fat: 1.7g Carb: 24.2g Fiber: 5.7g Protein: 7g Sugar 4.1g Sodium: 41mg
Weight Watchers Points (calculated on member website)
WW: 3 Points Plus

3.2.2925

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