I’ve mentioned before that I attended an amazing photography workshop this summer. We stayed together in a gorgeous lake house (in Sweden…no big deal) and basically just ate and took photos for four days straight. What I haven’t mentioned – and what I didn’t know until I got there – was that the workshop was entirely vegetarian.

One afternoon we came in from a walk around the lake and were greeted by the mouthwatering smell of bacon. Of course, it wasn’t bacon – it was smoked tofu, and I became an immediate fan. The rich, smoky flavor is a great way to infuse a recipe with tons of flavor. I’ve been keeping an eye out for smoked tofu ever since, and was ecstatic to find it at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. I bought a few packages and couldn’t wait to start cooking.

These quinoa stuffed peppers might not look like much, but you’ll be blown away by how much flavor they have – from the smoky tofu to spicy serrano peppers and aromatic garlic, ginger, and scallions. Finishing the stuffed peppers under the broiler keeps the cooking time down (you don’t even need to fuss with a water bath) and allows the vegetables to char slightly, adding another flavor dimension.

If your peppers are on the smaller side, you might have some filling left over. Don’t throw it away – it’s delicious for lunch the next day.

Looking for more stuffed pepper recipes? Try these, these, or these.

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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Smoked Tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups water
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 2 large red bell peppers halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 ounces smoked tofu diced
• 2 carrots shredded
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 scallions chopped
• 1 serrano pepper minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 450ºF. Arrange the bell peppers cut-side up in a broiler-safe pan. Bake until slightly softened, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn broiler to high.
• Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a sauté pan set over high heat. Add the tofu and cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until deeply browned. Stir in the cooked quinoa and the remaining ingredients.
• Spoon 1/2 cup of filling into each pepper half. Broil until warmed through and starting the brown, about 5 minutes.