Welcome summer with these healthy chickpea and quinoa harissa stuffed peppers!
Juicy red peppers are roasted and stuffed with a chickpea and quinoa filling cooked in a tomato harissa sauce.
These stuffed peppers are a quick and easy meal that’s vegan, healthy, filling and delicious! Stuffed peppers always remind me of when I was younger.
My mum would buy these vegetarian ones filled with rice and cheese and they were always one of my favourite meals!
Luckily making them vegan was easy and I wanted them to be packed with flavour, which is where the harissa comes in. Harissa is a paste made from chillies, garlic, pepper and spices.
Although I haven’t included vegan cheese in the recipe, they would be delicious with some melted vegan cheddar or mozzarella on top!
When I saw these huge red peppers at the local farm shop I instantly knew they would be perfect for stuffing!
The first step is to roast the peppers. Cut them in half length ways, coat in some olive oil, salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 25 minutes.
Whilst the peppers are roasting we can prepare the filling. Shallots and garlic get fried before adding chopped tomato, harissa and chickpeas.
I’m using shop bought harissa for this but making your own is also easy although you may need to look around to find the chillies for it. Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest has a harissa recipe I really want to try!
As well as being super healthy this recipe is also gluten free. Quinoa is a great source of fibre, iron and magnesium and I love using it as a filling base to recipes.
Because I’m a little bit extra, I’ve used tri colour quinoa (red, white and black) in this recipe. They all have a slightly different texture and is also super pretty!
You can find it in most big supermarkets, I got some in Sainsburys. However, regular quinoa works fine too though!
Quinoa quadruples in volume when cooked therefore don’t panic that the recipe doesn’t call for enough or is doesn’t look like much!
Serve these stuffed peppers any way you like. With a side of potatoes, bread, salad or on their own. I also like to have them with a dollop of hummus or yoghurt, so yummy!
For more pepper recipes you might enjoy:
Roasted red pepper and sundried tomato pasta
Black bean and red pepper chipotle chilli
As always if you make these chickpea and quinoa harissa stuffed peppers be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram – I’d love to see you all there!
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Chickpea and Quinoa Harissa Stuffed Peppers
These healthy chickpea and quinoa harissa stuffed peppers are perfect for a quick weeknight meal. They're vegan, gluten free and packed with flavour.
Ingredients
- 4 large red peppers
- 3/4 cup (135g) tri colour quinoa
- 3 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes + water
- 1 heaped tbsp harissa paste*
- 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tin (400g) chickpeas
Toppings
- Fresh coriander
- Extra harissa mixed with some olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Cut peppers in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Keeping the stalks on will help them keep their shape. Place on a baking sheet and toss in some oil, salt and pepper. Place them open side up and pop them in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Cook the quinoa according to packet instructions, it will quadruple in size so make sure you use an appropriate sized pan. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Finely slice the shallots and fry on medium heat in some oil. After a few minutes add the crushed garlic.
- Next add the drained chickpeas, harissa and chopped tomatoes. Fill the empty tin halfway with water and add too.
- Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper, add a little more harissa if you want it spicier.
- Add the quinoa to the tomato mixture and stir until coated.
- Remove peppers from the oven and carefully fill each half with the filling.
- Top with some fresh coriander, a drizzle of extra harissa and serve!
Notes
Regular quinoa works fine too!
*If you aren't sure how much harissa to use or are sensitive to spice, start with 1/2 tbsp and then add accordingly as spice may vary by brand.
Try topping with some vegan cheddar or mozzarella. Place a slice on top of each stuffed pepper and place under the grill for a couple of minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 247Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 131mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 8gSugar: 12gProtein: 9g
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Tuesday 7th of July 2020
What dried spices do you add to this?
Tamsin
Tuesday 7th of July 2020
Hi Colin, there aren't any dried spices just dried herbs, the flavour comes from the harissa paste :) Tamsin xo
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Pr86
Sunday 17th of November 2019
Suuuper tasty and so simple! I’m an absolute wuss with spicey stuff but I added 2 teaspoons of harissa and that was still fine!
Tamsin
Monday 18th of November 2019
Thanks so much for your comment Pearly, glad you enjoyed it :) xo