Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers are just like the classic stuffed peppers you bake in an oven, but they’re made easily in a slow cooker. This Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe isn’t just easy to make though; it’s healthy, too! It’s one of the best crock pot recipes for classic comfort food, made healthy!

Theses crock pot stuffed peppers came about in the summer of The Great Stalemate.

On the figurative home team: two stubborn first-time homeowners.

On the literal home team: their air-conditioning unit.

It was the first full year in our new house, and since our point of comparison was a 500-square-foot apartment, the winter’s heating bill had been quite the shock. We thought the fiscally responsible thing to do would be to recoup some of our losses by waiting a few extra weeks to start up the AC.

May turned into June, June turned into July, and we still hadn’t flipped the switch.

By August, morbid curiosity and stubbornness had taken hold. How long could we last?

Two years later, I can’t recall precisely when we finally gave in—it might have been the moment the chocolate chips in these no bake quinoa cookies melted all over my photography board and had to be remade—but I do remember a delicious run of no-oven-required recipes that prolonged our little game of chicken.

Suffer-No-More Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers

Among the ever-growing collection of slow cooker recipes on my site, these Chicken Quinoa Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers have remained a constant favorite. They’re easy, healthy, and taste as phenomenal as leftovers as they do the day you make them. With the constant influx of new blog recipes invading our refrigerator, dinners are rarely repeats, but this crock pot stuffed pepper recipe is a notable exception.

Ben and I both love them; our friends and neighbors love them, and any slow cooker stuffed peppers that aren’t eaten right away, I’ll rewarm for fast lunches and dinners throughout the week.

Looking for the best easy, crowd-pleasing dinner go-to recipe? This Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe is mine.

Slow Cooker Recipe Notes

Since I feel fairly strongly that slow cooker meals should have as little prep time as possible (isn’t that the point of using a crock pot after all?), the quinoa stuffed peppers recipe requires no additional steps beyond coring the peppers. The filling takes less than five minutes to stir together, and the final dish is so loaded with sassy Tex-Mex flavor that no one will believe you when you confess how easy these crock pot stuffed peppers are to make. A couple of recipe notes:

• The recipe below lists ground chicken, but I’ve also made the Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe with ground turkey.
• To make the slow cooker stuffed peppers vegetarian, swap the meat for an extra can of black beans, or do half black beans and half pinto or kidney. I haven’t tried making the stuffed peppers this way myself, but I imagine they would be tasty and filling too!

Tools I used to make the Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe:

• Programmable slow cooker
• Giant mixing bowl

Love stuffed peppers as much as I do? Check out Kalyn’s recipe for Low Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup or my recipe for Spinach Artichoke Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers!

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Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans

Yield: 6 –8 stuffed peppers

Prep Time:

15 mins

An easy, healthy recipe for crock pot stuffed peppers with quinoa, chicken, and black beans. Less than 15 minutes of prep, freezer friendly, and gluten free!

Ingredients

For the Peppers:

• 6-8 large bell peppers — any colors you like (our favorite were red)
• 1 pound ground chicken — or turkey, I used chicken
• 1 can reduced-sodium black beans — (14 ounces), rinsed and drained
• 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes — (with juices, 14 ounces)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup shredded pepper jack — Monterey jack, cheddar, or similar cheese, divided (I used pepper jack)

For Serving:

• Sliced avocado
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Salsa
• Sour cream — or plain Greek yogurt
• Freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

1. Slice the tops off of the bell peppers (cut as close to the top as you can so that you have max space for stuffing), then carefully remove the ribs and seeds so that you do not break the sides of the peppers. Set aside.
2. Place the ground chicken into a large bowl. Add the black beans, tomatoes with their juices, quinoa, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and 3/4 cup of the cheese. With a fork or your fingers, stir to combine. Spoon the filling into the hollowed-out centers of the peppers, filling the peppers all the way to the top. (The number of peppers you need to use all of the filling will vary depending upon the size of the peppers. I usually end up with about 7.)
3. Pour 1/2 cup water into an empty 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Stand the peppers up on their bases in the water, arranging them so that the peppers are evenly spread apart. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the peppers are tender. Remove the lid, sprinkle the peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, then cover the slow cooker again and let heat for a few additional minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with desired toppings.

Recipe Notes

• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in the microwave or oven. For easiest reheating, cut the peppers into a few pieces first so that they warm evenly.
• These peppers can also be baked in the oven: Stand the peppers up in a pan and pour a little water in the bottom. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 400 degrees F, until softened, hot, and cooked through.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa and Black Beans, Healthy Crock Pot Recipe

All text and images © Erin / Well Plated.

Nutrition Information

Amount per serving (1 stuffed pepper (of 8), without toppings) — Calories: 264, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 434mg, Carbohydrates: 32g, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 18g

Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!

I originally shared this post in partnership with Pick ‘n Save, my local grocery store where I find lovely fresh produce like these bell peppers, delivered from local farmers. As always all opinions are my own, and thank you for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to provide quality content to you! I updated the post in 2017 with improved photos, but the recipe has not changed and is still one of my favorites.