Nutritious chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers

By: Grace Coughlan, Associate Editor 

Views expressed in opinion columns are the author’s own.

For anyone looking to spice up their meals or find some healthy alternatives, I recommend chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers. This recipe from Allrecipes provides a delicious healthier alternative to bland high calorie meals. 

If you’re looking to cut back on red meats, chicken is a great substitute because it’s low in saturated fat and provides a lot of protein. While there is a lot of debate on whether or not chicken by itself is healthy, it provides more nutrients than red meats do. 

Quinoa is a great substitute for grains like rice or pasta. While quinoa comes from a grain crop, it’s gluten-free and provides higher protein compared to other grains. Quinoa provides fiber, magnesium, iron, and other vitamins and minerals. 

Alongside quinoa, the peppers serve as a great alternative to grain. Instead of putting the chicken and quinoa mix in a wrap or in biscuits, the pepper serves as the halves of a sandwich. Allrecipes use bell peppers for this dish, which are a great source of vitamins. 

Allrecipes Chicken & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers: 

Serves: 4 people 

Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ⅓ cups Swanson Unsalted Chicken Stock 
  • ⅔ cup rinsed, uncooked quinoa 
  • 1 pound 98% fat-free ground chicken breast OR 99% fat-free ground turkey breast 
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1 medium (onion)
  • 10 ounces of chopped frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
  • 1 can or 10.5 ounce of Campbell’s Healthy Request Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
  • ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese 
  • 4 medium red bell peppers, cut in half 

Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. While the oven is preheating, heat the chicken stock and the quinoa in a saucepan over high heat to boil. Then reduce the heat to a low and cover the mixture. Let it cook for around 13 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. 

In a skillet, cook the chicken, garlic, and onion on a medium to high heat until the chicken is cooked all of the way. Make sure to stir often in order to keep the meat separated. Once the chicken is cooked, stir in the soup, spinach, quinoa and roughly 3 teaspoons of cheese. 

Place the eight pepper halves on a pan and spoon the chicken and quinoa mixture into the pepper halves. Bake them for 30 minutes. 

The great thing about this recipe is that you can fit it to whatever your preferences are. For example, Allrecipes calls for red peppers but I prefer yellow. You can also use chicken or turkey in the mixture. The recipe calls for sprinkled cheese on top of the peppers. If you’re not a fan of cheese, you don’t have to add it. 

Lastly, not only do the chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers make a great meal but the chicken and quinoa mixture serves as a delicious leftover option. While microwaved peppers are a little too mushy for my taste, the chicken and quinoa mixture is delicious and quick to heat up, especially if you need a quick lunch or don’t have time to make dinner. 
For more information on the recipe, visit Allrecipes website.

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