Chorizo and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
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What I Love About My Chorizo Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Have you ever bought bell peppers, then gotten home to find a full crisper drawer already waiting for you? That’s happened to me on three separate store trips. When that happens, this chorizo quinoa version is the stuffed pepper recipe I reach for.
- I cook the quinoa and the chorizo mixture at the same time, so one doesn’t hold up the other.
- You get protein, a whole grain, and vegetables baked into one dish, covering a full plate on its own.
- I finish every pepper with a crumble of queso fresco, which stays soft and crumbly without melting into a puddle.
- You’ll taste little bursts of sweetness from the corn against the smoky heat of the chorizo in almost every bite.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Bell Peppers: I use red bell peppers here because they’re the ripest, sweetest version of the same pepper. Red bell peppers reach full maturity on the plant, so that extra ripening time gives them a noticeably sweeter taste than green or yellow peppers. Look for peppers that feel heavy for their size with tight, shiny skin.
- Chorizo: I use Mexican-style fresh chorizo for this recipe, not the cured Spanish variety. Fresh chorizo is raw, fully seasoned ground pork that you cook and crumble directly in the pan. It’s what gives the filling its signature spice and color.
- Quinoa: Check the package before you cook it. It depends on the brand: many brands pre-rinse quinoa at the factory. If your package doesn’t say so, give it a good rinse under cold water before cooking. That washes away the natural bitter coating called saponin.
- Queso Fresco: This is a fresh, mild Mexican cheese with a soft, crumbly texture that doesn’t melt smoothly. I sprinkle it over the top rather than stirring it into the filling. If you can’t find queso fresco, cotija or a mild feta both work as a substitute.
How to Make Chorizo and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cook the quinoa. Check your package directions for the water ratio, then bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the quinoa, pressed garlic, cumin, and a pinch of salt, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the quinoa turns tender and soaks up the water.
- Sauté the onion. While the quinoa cooks, heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it turns translucent.
- Brown the chorizo. Remove the chorizo from its casing, crumble it into the pan, and cook it with the onion. Break up any large clumps as it cooks so it browns evenly. PRO TIP: Because fresh chorizo is raw ground pork, I always cook it until it’s no longer pink throughout. Ground pork is safe to eat once it hits 160°F. A food thermometer takes the guesswork out of it if you want to check.
- Add the corn and tomato. Once the chorizo is about halfway done, stir in the corn and diced tomato. Keep cooking until the chorizo is fully done, then strain off any extra liquid so the filling doesn’t turn watery.
- Combine the filling. Mix the cooked quinoa into the chorizo mixture and set it aside.
- Prep the peppers. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and scoop out the seeds and membrane.
- Stuff the peppers. Fill each pepper with the chorizo and quinoa mixture, pressing gently so the filling settles in.
- Bake covered. Stand the peppers upright in a lightly greased baking dish. An 8×8 dish holds four large peppers well. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and finish baking. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how soft you like your peppers.
- Top and serve. Crumble the queso fresco over the peppers right before serving, while they’re still hot enough to soften the cheese slightly.
How to Know When Stuffed Peppers Are Done
Since the filling is fully cooked before stuffing the peppers, you are simply cooking the peppers. Press the side of a pepper with a fork. It should give easily without collapsing or feeling mushy. You can actually adjust cooking time to your preferred doneness of the pepper, whether you like them more crunchy or more soft.
Ways to Serve Chorizo Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Top each pepper with a scoop of the best guacamole for a cool, creamy contrast against the smoky chorizo.
- Serve with a side of black bean and corn salad for extra fiber and a fresh, Tex-Mex-style crunch.
- Pair with a scoop of Mexican street corn salad or corn salsa for another hit of sweet, smoky corn.
- Spoon some homemade salsa over the top for extra brightness and a little heat.
- Top a halved leftover pepper with a fried egg for a fast next-day breakfast.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Chorizo and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Store: in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: cooked and cooled peppers in a freezer-safe container or wrapped individually for up to 3 months. For the best texture, freeze the peppers without the queso fresco and add it fresh after reheating.
- Reheat: at 350°F oven until the center reaches 165°F. This takes about 20 to 25 minutes from the refrigerator, or closer to 40 minutes from frozen. Or you can reheat individual in the microwave, in 40 second increments. You can also cut it in half to heat through faster.
Chorizo and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe FAQs
This usually comes down to moisture in the filling or the pepper itself. I strain the chorizo mixture well before stuffing, which removes a lot of excess liquid before it reaches the oven.
Red bell peppers are the ripest version of the pepper, so they taste the sweetest. That’s why this recipe calls for them. Yellow or orange peppers work well too if that’s what you have on hand.
It depends on the brand. Many brands pre-rinse quinoa at the factory. If your package doesn’t say so, give it a quick rinse under cold water before cooking. That washes away the natural bitter coating called saponin.
They keep well for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cotija cheese or a mild feta both make good substitutes here. Both share that same crumbly texture without melting into the filling.
More Recipes From Me
- Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers
- Sausage and Onions Stuffed Peppers
- Salisbury Steak Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Chorizo Quesadilla
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Quinoa and Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large red bell peppers
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
- 1/2 lb chorizo sausage
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 3/4 cup corn
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt to taste
- 3-4 oz queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
- Check directions on the bag of quinoa to see how much water to use for cooking quinoa. Bring water to boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat down to medium-low and add quinoa, pressed garlic, garlic powder, cumin, and salt. Lower the heat to low, stir, cover and cook until quinoa is done.
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare chorizo. Preheat a medium cooking pan over medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil. Dice onion and add it to the pan. Saute onions until translucent.
- Take chorizo out of it’s casing, crumble it and add it to the cooking pan. Stir well. Make sure to break up all the clumps of meat as it cooks.
- Once chorizo is about half way done, add corn and diced tomato. Mix well and cook until chorizo is done. Strain any juices.
- Mix cooked quinoa and chorizo mixture together and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- Cut tops off of bell peppers and scoop out all the seeds and membrane from inside the peppers.
- Stuff peppers with chorizo and quinoa mixture.
- Place peppers upright in a lightly greased baking dish. (An 8×8 baking dish usually works very well for 4 large peppers.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on how soft you like your peppers.
- Top cooked stuffed peppers with crumbled fresco cheese right before serving.
Notes
- Swap the chorizo for another pork or chicken sausage if you wish. If you want to use ground turkey or ground chicken, note that you will need to add quite a bit more seasoning since chorizo is well seasoned.
- No queso fresco on hand? Cotija or a mild feta both work.
- Leftover filling makes a great burrito bowl base if you have extra.
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This is a family favorite!
What a colorful recipe! It looks delicious and right now I have several red peppers waiting for a filling — thank you for the inspiration!! Pinning and sharing for sure.
Thank you! I hope you will try this one, it’s yummy 🙂