This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

This easy Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and can be made with pantry staples. Filled with chipotle quinoa, black beans, corn, and topped with avocado and crumbled vegan cheese, this vegan stuffed pepper recipe is healthy and can easily be turned into a vegan recipe.

Quinoa stuffed bell peppers are one of our go-to weekday dinner recipes and I love that you can make a big batch of this Mexican quinoa ahead of time so these are ready in no time.

How to make easy Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers?

To cut down on the prep and cooking time you can take a few short cuts. 

1. Make your quinoa ahead of time. I usually make a big batch of quinoa on the weekend. Then I can use the cooked quinoa for different dishes including quinoa salads and these delicious Mexican stuffed bell peppers. 
2. Use canned vegetables. For this recipe, I used pantry staples like quinoa, canned black beans, canned corn, and store-bought salsa. This really cuts the prep and cooking time. So go ahead and use your canned veggies for this recipe!
3. Pre-cook your bell peppers in the microwave. Baking bell peppers usually takes a long time. You can cut the baking time in less than half by microwaving your bell peppers for 5-10 minutes on high until they have cooked almost all the way through. That way you just have to bake them for 5-10 minutes to finish the cooking process. 

What are the ingredients for making Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers?

To give this spicy Mexican stuffed bell peppers a real south of the border taste I used many staples of Mexican cuisine. I love that this dish is easy to tweak using whatever you have on hand. 

• Quinoa. you can use any quinoa that you have in your pantry or even a rice and quinoa combination. You can also replace the quinoa for rice or wild rice. 
• Beans. for this recipe I used canned black beans. You can replace the black beans for canned red beans, white beans or any type of canned or cooked beans you have at home.
• Better Than Bouillon Base. And when you’re trying to put together a dish with things you have at home Better Than Bouillon can be used to help you make meals that are full of flavor – no matter what ingredients you have on hand and boost the flavor of your food when that “something” is missing.
• Store-bought salsa. The store-bought salsa gives this dish lots of flavor. If you don’t have salsa at home you can use a can of diced tomatoes instead of the salsa.
• Onions. If you don’t have onions on hand you can simply add some onion powder.
• Chipotle adobo sauce. To give this dish that spicy and smoky flavor I added canned chipotle adobo sauce. However, you can replace this by chipotle powder or use any chili powder or hot sauce you have at home. You can also tweak the amount of heat by adding more or less chipotle or hot sauce and even make a batch that is not spicy for the kids. 

Better Than Bouillon Bases

To make the chipotle Mexican quinoa I used a combination of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base and Roasted Garlic Base. The Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base has a rich flavor and is completely vegetarian so you get that chicken flavor without the chicken.  

The Better Thank Bouillon Roasted Garlic base is a great way to add that roasted garlic flavor to your dishes without having to roast garlic. It makes the process easier and saves so much time. 

I use Better Than Bouillon bases for some of my favorite recipes. The paste concentrate adds that “cooked all day” flavor that you can’t get when you use broth. It’s a great way to save time and add lots of flavor to your favorite dishes.

I love that there is a wide variety of bases in a range of flavors. And there are so many vegetarian options from the Seasoned Vegetable Base, Mushroom Base and Roasted Garlic Base to the No Chicken Base and No Beef Base. You can search for Better Than Bouillon using the product locator HERE or order those hard to find flavors online!

Other Vegetarian Mexican Recipes

• Avocado and Chipotle Mushroom Tostadas
• Mushroom and Flor de Calabaza Tacos
• 5 Minute Avocado and Mango Rice Salad
• Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Spicy MexicanQuinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe 

Ingredients

• 6 bell peppers
• 2 cups of water
• 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base
• 1 cup of quinoa, uncooked
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic base
• ¼ cup water
• 1 cup of store-bought salsa
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons canned chipotle adobo sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of corn
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 1 Hass avocado, diced
• 1 lime juiced
• Cilantro
• 1 jalapeño, sliced
• Queso Fresco or crumbled vegan cheese or tofu

Instruction

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the top of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the inside of the bell peppers with salt and pepper.
• Place the bell peppers in a microwave-safe container and microwave on high for 5 -7 minutes turning once. This will soften them up and reduce the baking time significantly.
• While the bell peppers are in the microwave add 2 cups of water to a small pot. Add two tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. Whisk until well combined.
• Add the quinoa and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
• While the quinoa is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook until starting to brown.
• Add 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base to ¼ cup of hot water whisking until well combined. Add the roasted garlic stock to the skillet and deglaze the pan.

• Add the salsa, salt, pepper, chipotle sauce and cumin and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to half.
• In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, the onion and salsa mixture, the beans, the corn and fresh cilantro. Mix until well combined.

• Using a large spoon fill the bell peppers with the quinoa mixture.
• Bake the stuffed bell peppers for about 10 minutes until tender.
• Dice the avocado and combine with the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Served the Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers topped with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, queso fresco and jalapeño slices.

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Spicy Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Vegetarian)

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Ingredients

• • 6 bell peppers
• • 2 cups of water
• • 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base
• • 1 cup of quinoa, uncooked
• • 1 teaspoon olive oil
• • 1 medium onion, chopped
• • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic base
• • ¼ cup of water
• • 1 cup of store-bought salsa
• • 1 teaspoon of salt
• • ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste
• • 2 tablespoons canned chipotle adobo sauce
• • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• • 1 can of black beans
• • 1 can of corn
• • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
• • 1 Hass avocado, diced
• • 1 lime juiced
• • Cilantro
• • 1 jalapeño, sliced
• • Queso Fresco

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cut the top of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Sprinkle the inside of the bell peppers with salt and pepper.
3. Place the bell peppers in a microwave-safe container and microwave on high for 5 -7 minutes turning once. This will soften them up and reduce the baking time significantly.
4. While the bell peppers are in the microwave add 2 cups of water to a small pot. Add two tablespoons of Better Than Buillon No Chicken Base. Whisk until well combined.
5. Add the quinoa and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.
6. While the quinoa is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook until starting to brown.
7. Add 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic Base to ¼ cup of hot water whisking until well combined. Add the roasted garlic stock to the skillet and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the salsa, salt, pepper, chipotle sauce, and cumin and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to half.
9. In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, the onion and salsa mixture, the beans, the corn and fresh cilantro. Mix until well combined.
10. Using a large spoon fill the bell peppers with the quinoa mixture.
11. Bake the stuffed bell peppers for about 10 minutes until tender.
12. Dice the avocado and combine with the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
13. Served the Mexican quinoa stuffed peppers topped with diced avocado, fresh cilantro, queso fresco and jalapeño slices.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.

Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .

When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.

Latest posts by Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz (see all)

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