Vegetable and Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers
Vegetable and Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe is a delicious and healthy dish that is perfect for those following the Zone Diet. The recipe is vegetarian and features bell peppers stuffed with a mixture of sautéed onions, garlic, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, spinach, cooked quinoa, and shredded cheddar cheese. This dish is rich in nutrients, including protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it an ideal option for a healthy and satisfying meal. It is also customizable, and you can adjust the ingredients to fit your individual macro requirements while still staying within the guidelines of the Zone Diet.Overall, this Vegetable and Cheese Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe is a tasty and wholesome option for anyone looking for a healthy, vegetarian meal that is easy to prepare and packed with flavor.
Equipment
- 1 Tight Lid Pot or an Oven will work
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers any color, tops removed and seeds removed
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 yellow squash diced
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 cup spinach chopped
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the bell peppers for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Add the zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, and spinach, and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the cooked quinoa and cheddar cheese, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Spoon the vegetable and cheese mixture into the blanched bell peppers, filling each pepper to the top.
- Place the stuffed peppers in a baking dish, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve the stuffed peppers hot, garnished with fresh herbs if desired.
Follow these instruction to cook on STOVE instead of Oven
- After blanching the bell peppers, stuff them with the vegetable and cheese mixture as directed in the recipe.
- Place the stuffed bell peppers in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- Add 1/2 cup of water to the pot, making sure that the water level does not rise above the bottom of the peppers.
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with the lid.
- Let the stuffed peppers simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Once the peppers are done, carefully remove them from the pot using tongs or a slotted spoon.
- Serve the stuffed peppers hot, garnished with fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
If you are following the Zone Diet, you may want to adjust the portions of the ingredients to fit your individual macro requirements. For example, you could increase the amount of protein by adding extra quinoa or lean ground meat, or decrease the amount of carbohydrates by using less quinoa or omitting the cheese.