Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Sausage Quinoa Peppers

By Marlenew

Easy way to make quinoa is in the rice cooker on “white rice” setting. 1:1 ratio; 1 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of water!

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 pound chicken Italian sausage links (about 6 links), casing removed. (I buy at Trader Joe’s)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (I use DeLallo)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese blend (I buy “lite” from Trader Joe’s), divided
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds removed (use a variety of colors)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Toppings: sour cream and cilantro

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Precook the quinoa according to package directions.

Place the peppers in a 9×13 pan, cut sides facing up, and bake until tender, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes.

Add the chicken sausage, breaking apart with a spatula, and cook until cooked through, 5-6 mintues. Drain off the fat; season with Italian seasoning.

Add in the cooked quinoa and 1 cup cheese to the meat mixture; salt and pepper to taste. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes; add the fresh squeezed lime; stir more.

Remove the peppers from the oven; drain off any liquid. Switch the heat over to BROIL.

Divide the meat into each pepper half; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top of the peppers.

Place the peppers back into the 9×13 pan.

Broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted on top!

Serve hot with sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro!