Craving Italian food? Try these lasagna stuffed peppers! These lasagna stuffed peppers are filled with quinoa, ground sausage (or try ground beef, chicken, or turkey!), mushrooms, cheese, and marinara sauce that remind me of the flavors of comforting lasagna…and bonus you are also getting in an extra serving of veggies! These peppers are a fabulous meal-prep recipe…I love making this recipe ahead of time, so all I have to do when I get home from work is pop them in the oven! That way you can have this tasty, balanced, colorful meal on the table in no time! ?
I’ve been wanting to try a stuffed pepper recipe for a LONG time, but Chris (my husband) doesn’t like bell peppers. Honestly, I feel I can’t complain because he’s seriously one of the least picky eaters EVER. But two foods he doesn’t like are peppers and mushrooms….so needless to say he didn’t even want to try this recipe. ? But that just meant more leftovers for me!
What is quinoa?
To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever tried making a classic stuffed pepper recipe before, but I believe they are often made with rice. I have nothing against rice, but thought it would be fun to use quinoa in these peppers! Quinoa is technically a seed, although it is similar to grains. Quinoa is high in protein and considered a complete protein, which is very rare for plant-based proteins. A complete protein means it has all the 9 essential amino acids. Quinoa is also naturally gluten-free too! And just like oatmeal, it is packed with fiber and very heart-healthy! See this article for more info on quinoa! ?
When I was first brainstorming this recipe idea and testing it, I couldn’t decide for the life of me decide whether to call these stuffed peppers “pizza stuffed peppers” or “lasagna stuffed peppers,” as the ingredients reminded me of both. However, after tasting and perfecting this recipe it definitely reminded me more of lasagna, as the filling is creamy and delicious thanks to the ricotta cheese and marinara sauce.
Meal Prep Recipe
I love prepping this recipe ahead of time on the weekend, so then all I have to do when I get home from work during the week is pop the stuffed peppers in the oven to cook! These lasagna stuffed peppers also make great leftovers for lunch the next day(s) after they’ve been cooked. I’ve also tried freezing this recipe after cooking them, and they defrost and hold up pretty well after freezing! Then you can have a home-cooked, nutritious and satisfying meal in a matter of minutes!
Ingredients and Substitution ideas
Peppers
I recommend finding the largest bell peppers you can find to stuff as much filling as possible into them! I used a variety of colors; any color (red, orange, yellow, green, purple, etc.) of bell peppers will work great!
Quinoa
I’ve only tried quinoa in this recipe, which is very easy to find in any grocery store nowadays. You could try using instant/minute brown rice or farro instead…but I’d encourage you to try it first with quinoa, especially if you’ve never tried it before!
Sausage
I used ground pork sausage in this recipe, as that’s what I hand in the freezer. However, I often like using ground turkey or ground chicken in place of red meat, and will likely try that next time I make these! Lean ground beef is also a good option. If you want a vegetarian option, I’ve also made this recipe by simply omitting the meat, and it’s still delicious! I’ve also made this vegan sausage before. While I haven’t tried using soy protein in this specific recipe, I see no reason why it wouldn’t work if you want a meatless option still high in protein!
Mushrooms and Onions
I loved the texture and flavor the sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic added to this recipe. However, if you don’t like one of these ingredients, feel free to substitute or omit them! The recipe will still work. You could always try sautéed spinach or other greens, zucchini, eggplant, etc.
Ricotta cheese
Necessary for the creamy taste reminiscent of lasagna! I know some lasagna recipes call for cottage cheese instead of ricotta, so you could try using that instead but I haven’t personally tried it.
Marinara sauce
I prefer to buy a sauce that doesn’t have any added sugar, as I just don’t find it necessary to the taste! A lot of store-bought marinara sauces have quite a bit of added sugar and salt. Look for one with simple ingredients!
Shredded cheese
I used parmesan in the photos as that’s what I had on hand, but honestly mozzarella cheese may a bit more classic of lasagna and also melt better as it’s a softer cheese than parmesan. But I did love the flavor of parmesan! Feel free to use your favorite cheese here.
I LOVE seeing when you make my recipes! If you do, let me know by snapping a picture and tagging #audras_appetite or @audras_appetite on Instagram, or tagging me on Facebook! ?
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- 1 onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 2 heaping cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ⅔ cup uncooked quinoa (2 cups cooked)
- 1 cup marinara pasta sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 6 large bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon oregano, dried
- 1 tablespoon dried basil, dried
- 1 cup mozzarella or parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ lb (8 ounces) ground sausage or beef, cooked (optional, can omit for vegetarian option)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Heat oil on large skillet on stove. Add onion and mushrooms, and cook until tender and soft. Add in minced garlic and cook another couple minutes.
- Cook quinoa according to package directions. (I used 1 cup dry quinoa + 2 cups water, which yielded over 3 cups. However, you will only need 2 cups of cooked quinoa for this recipe).
- If using sausage, cook in a skillet until cooked through. You could also use ground chicken, turkey, beef, etc. or simply omit for a vegetarian option.
- Cut the tops off bell peppers and discard the seeds inside.
- In a large bowl, combine sautéed mushrooms and onions, cooked quinoa, cooked sausage, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and dried oregano and basil. Stir until combined.
- Spoon filling mixture into the cleaned out peppers. Top with shredded cheese of choice.
- At this point, you can either refrigerate the bell peppers overnight for a meal prep option, or go ahead and bake the peppers for approximately 30 minutes. Keep in mind if you refrigerate overnight, it may take a few minutes longer to heat through.
- I like serving these with additional marinara sauce on top!
- Enjoy! You can also freeze leftovers.
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