2tbspolive oil, or enough to coat the bottom of your pan
4red bell pepper, halved and seeded
1onion, diced
3clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1lbhigh quality loose sausage
1cancan of Organic Black Beans
3-4cupstomatoes, roasted and peeledor substitute canned diced tomatoes
1tbspdried oregano
1cupquinoa
2cupschicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
4tbspfresh parsley for garnishing
1cupGruyere cheese (or your favorite cheese), grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange seeded and halved peppers in a shallow pan or Dutch Oven hollow side facing up.
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil is shimmering but not smoking, add onions and allow them to cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) stirring so that the garlic does not burn. Add loose sausage and cook until the sausage is browned through. (If you use high quality sausage, there will be no oil to drain off at this point, if you have used lesser quality sausage, you will need to drain off all except 2 tbsp of the excess grease.)
Add beans, tomatoes, oregano and salt and pepper. (I roast tomatoes and remove skins in large batches and put them in the freezer for this type of use. So I thaw them and pull them apart with my hands as I put them in the pot.) Mix well.
Add uncooked quinoa and chicken or vegetable stock to the pot and stir well. Allow the mixture to cook together until the quinoa is completely cooked. It will take about 20 minutes. You will be able to see the spiral in the quinoa when it is cooked. There mixture will be thick but juicy. Taste carefully and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Use a measuring cup (or coffee mug!) to carefully scoop the sausage quinoa mixture and pour it into the hollow peppers, making sure to fill the peppers completely but allowing the mixture and juice to spill over the sides. Once all peppers are filled, pour remaining juice into the bottom of your pan or Dutch Oven. Put the pan into the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender.
Pull the cooked peppers from the oven, top with grated cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!