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Veggie-Loaded Mexican Stuffed Peppers (vegan!)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Alexis Joseph, MS, RD
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Make my vegan Mexican Stuffed Peppers packed with veggies for a flavorful and filling weeknight dinner! They're made with quinoa, canned black beans, sweet potato, bold enchilada sauce, and cashews for creaminess for a dinner you'll crave over and over. Drizzle with a quick avocado cream to take it over the top!


Ingredients

Units Scale

For the stuffed peppers:

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 8oz red enchilada sauce (I love Frontera)
  • 4 large bell peppers
  • 1 cups frozen spinach, thawed + water squeezed out
  • 1 heaping cup cooked quinoa (I used frozen)
  • 1-15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup grated sweet potato (about 1/2 medium sweet potato)
  • 1/2 cup chunky salsa (I love Frog Ranch medium salsa)
  • 1/2 cup corn
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

For the avocado cream:

  • 1 avocado
  • juice 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray an 8x8in baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Place cashews in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Set aside.
  3. Trim the tops off each pepper (try to cut near the top) and gently remove the white membranes inside the peppers. Save tops. Place peppers cut side up in baking dish. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, gather the tops of the peppers and chop leftover pepper (excluding stem) into small pieces. Set aside 1/2 cup and discard the rest.
  5. Drain cashews. Place in blender/food processor (I used my Nutribullet) with enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup chopped peppers. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
  6. In a large bowl, combine spinach, quinoa, black beans, grated sweet potato, salsa, corn, salt, garlic powder, and cumin, stirring to combine. Stir in cashew enchilada sauce. Divide mixture evenly into bell peppers. Bake for 15 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, place the avocado cream ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Drizzle over peppers prior to serving.