Have you ever eaten a stuffed bell pepper for dinner?
I think peppers are pretty well known for being stuffed and enjoyed as a meal. But, what about stuffed portobello mushrooms, squash or zucchini?
Here are six unique stuffed veggie recipes created by healthy food bloggers around the web. The presentation, taste and nutrients make these a must serve!
1. Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
From what I read, quinoa is one of the healthiest grains you can eat. But, I think it’s also underrated – or at least unfamiliar to many people.
Quinoa is loaded with nutrients like protein (including lysine and isoleucine), vitamin E, magnesium, folate, zinc, fiber quercetin and more! There are even some omega-3 fatty acids present in quinoa. Plus, it’s super easy to prepare, and quick too.
In this recipe, the quinoa is made into a southwest style mixture with corn, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, fresh cilantro, cumin and some feta and pepper jack cheese for a slight bite. Recipe creator, Chungah, from Damn Delicious, says it is “incredibly filling and hearty.”
In less than an hour, you can have this nutritious stuffed veg on the table for the entire family to enjoy!
- You can find the recipe on Damn Delicious
2. Southwest Stuffed Squash
Even if you’re a meat lover, you can still enjoy stuffed vegetables for dinner!
This southwest stuffed acorn squash from the Skinny Mom team is the perfect example. And it’s low carb, too! One of these stuffed squash halves only has 278 calories, but loads of fiber, protein and iron.
The only suggestion I have is to use grass-fed beef. It’s a bit more expensive than your typical ground beef, but it’s just way better for you.
This stuffed veggie recipe is similar to the one above as far as the rest of the ingredients and flavors. So you can choose beef or no beef and squash or pepper? But why not try them both!
- You can find the recipe on Skinny Mom
3. Lasagna Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Did you know crimini mushrooms have a significant amount of conjugated linolenic acid (CLA)? That’s a type of fatty acid that is essential to our health. The World’s Healthiest Foods says this type of mushroom is an excellent source of 15 different vitamins, minerals and antioxidant phytonutrients. That includes selenium and a variety of B vitamins.
In this recipe, you’ll stuff that wholesome portobello with fresh basil and rosemary, roasted garlic, Italian sausage, pasta sauce and three kinds of cheese. It’s like lasagna without the carbo loaded noodles!
- You can find the recipe on Willow Bird Baking
4. Giant Zucchini Stuffed With Sausage, Mushrooms & Sage
Our family usually harvests an overload of zucchini from the garden at the close of summer. But we struggle with how to use it all up, and it seems when we try to give it away, everyone else has the same problem.
But a recipe like this is a delicious way to use them up! The next time you pick a giant zucchini from your garden, you’ll have to give this a try.
Recipe editor, Emma from The Kitchn stuffed her zucchini with a stuffing-like stuffing. She combines sausage, onion, mushrooms, garlic, fresh sage, walnuts and pecorino cheese. People who have tried the recipe suggest adding tomatoes, dried cherries or fresh cranberries and nutmeg. Others mixed it up and used Italian sausage, parsley instead of sage and Parmesan cheese instead of pecorino.
However you choose to stuff it, you’ll be happy you stumbled upon this simply fantastic recipe idea next fall.
- You can find the recipe on The Kitchn
5. Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps
This recipe comes from The Vegan Menu and it looks absolutely delish. If you’re not a vegan, you could use some sort of cheese to jazz it up even more.
Basically, you make mashed potatoes mixed with onion, tomatoes, spinach, jalapenos, garlic and spices. Then you fill the portobello caps and bake until the mushrooms are tender. That’s it! This simple meal can be ready to eat in just 40 minutes. Enjoy!
- You can find the recipe on The Vegan Menu
6. Sweet Chipotle Stuffed Peppers
Here’s another quinoa stuffed pepper, but chipotle style. It calls for red bell peppers, however you can use whatever you like best.
You simply make the quinoa first and mix all other ingredients with it. Black beans, spinach, tomatoes and spices. The recipe calls for garlic powder, but you could use fresh garlic to make it even better.
It also calls for agave nectar, but if you’d prefer it not to have a sweet flavor, you could leave that out. One person who tried this recipe suggested using a crockpot instead of baking. In the crockpot, you’d set the stuffed peppers in and fill with tomato juice up to the stuffing level. The juice will turn into a thick tomato sauce that you can smother the dish with.
If you aren’t worried about eating dairy-free, you could also add some cheese!
- You can find the recipe on The Vegan Menu
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