This recipe has been modified from the original recipe from EatingWell.

Approximate time to prep, cook, and finally eat it: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Servings: 6+

Ingredients

• Olive Oil
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 1 pound raw chicken breast
• 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
• ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¾ cup sliced fresh basil, divided
  OR 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 6 large bell peppers
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. We need fully cooked chicken. Cook it however you’d like, and season however you would like. Whatever method, our end result is small pieces of chicken that are fully cooked.
   In the above photo, I baked my chicken at 350 °F until the internal temp was at least 165 °F, which took about 45-50 minutes. Then, once it cooled a little, I sliced/shredded it with a knife and my hands. This photo was taken before it got a chance to bake.
3. While the chicken is baking, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, which takes 5-8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
   
   In the above photo, raw onion is on the left. Translucent onion, cooked for 5-8 minutes, is on the right.
4. Once the onion is translucent, add the minced garlic and stir until aromatic. This usually takes 1 minute or less; once you really smell the garlic, you have reached this point.
5. While the onion is cooking, prepare the quinoa. Take a fine-mesh colander, and rinse the quinoa under water. It will get puffy and stick together, as shown in the photo below.
   
6. Now add the quinoa to the garlic and onion mixture. Stir it constantly for 30 seconds to a minute.
   
7. Then, add all of the water to the pan. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow water to boil. This may take anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes. It will be soupy. Stir occasionally.
   
   The above photo is the mixture before the water came to a boil.
8. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to medium and cover. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. Once done, remove from the heat and keep covered. Do not stir. Let sit for at least 5 minutes. There should be no liquid left, and the quinoa should be fluffy.
9. Now we can prepare the peppers while the onion/garlic/quinoa mixture cooks. Cut the top/stem of the pepper off, and remove the seeds and innards. Lightly coat with olive oil and place in a glass dish with the cut-side facing up. Place in the oven and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, until the skin is tender.
   The above photo shows 4 peppers, but the ingredients call for 6; I had a lot of stuffing left over and estimated I could have filled two more peppers. Lots of variables; pepper size, amount of chicken, etc. This photo was taken prior to them going into the oven.
10. Time to create the stuffing. Add the onion/garlic/quinoa mixture, chicken, marina sauce, Parmesan, and basil (reserve some of the basil) to a large mixing bowl. Mix it until its well combined.
    The above photo was actually the amount of stuffing I had left after stuffing the four peppers. But that is in the next step:
11. Now we can finally stuff the peppers. Spoon it into the peppers, making sure to compact as you go. Fill it right up to the top.
12. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
    
13. Sprinkle the peppers with mozzarella cheese, and return to oven. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
    
14. Sprinkle the remaining basil over the peppers once done.
15. You have now made Chicken Parm and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers! Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information is for one serving and is approximate This was calculated via the MyFitnessPal app. This assumes 6 servings, and may vary based on ingredients.

• Calories: 381
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Cholesterol: 117 mg
• Sodium: 528 mg
• Carbohydrates: 28 g
• Protein: 42 g