Name: Aji Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans and Corn Salsa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 Red pepper halved lengthways and deseeded; 2 tbsp Cooking oil divided; 180g Quinoa rinsed; 360ml Water for cooking the quinoa; 1 Red onion finely chopped, divided; 2 cloves Garlic finely grated or crushed; 2 tbsp Aji amarillo paste; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Smoked paprika; 400g Black beans drained and rinsed; 0.5 tsp Salt plus more to taste; 2 pinches Black pepper freshly ground; 300g Sweetcorn drained if tinned; 2 Lime zested and juiced; 30g Coriander roughly chopped, divided; 2 Avocado stoned, peeled and diced; 40g Pumpkin seeds toasted; 120g Greek yoghurt to serve

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Preparation

Heat the oven

Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Line a large roasting tray with baking paper.

Start the quinoa

Put the rinsed quinoa, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.

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Prepare the peppers and salsa ingredients

Arrange the pepper halves cut-side up on the lined tray. Finely chop the red onion, reserving about one-third for the salsa. Crush the garlic, zest and juice the limes, chop the coriander and dice the avocado.

Make the corn-herb salsa

Place the sweetcorn, reserved red onion, half the coriander, lime zest, half the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then toss well. Set aside.

Cooking

Roast the pepper shells

Drizzle the pepper halves with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and roast until beginning to soften and char at the edges.

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Build the filling

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the remaining oil and cook the chopped onion for 3 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, aji amarillo paste, cumin and smoked paprika for 30 seconds. Add the drained black beans and cooked quinoa, then stir through the remaining lime juice and coriander. Season to taste.

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Stuff and finish

Spoon the quinoa filling generously into the partly roasted pepper halves. Return to the oven until the filling is hot and the peppers are tender with caramelised edges.

Timer available in cooking mode · 15 min

Toast the seeds

While the peppers finish, toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, shaking often, until fragrant and lightly coloured.

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Serve

Divide the stuffed peppers between four plates. Spoon over the corn-herb salsa and scatter with avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds. Add a spoonful of Greek yoghurt if liked; leave it out to keep the dish vegan.

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Aji Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers with Black Beans and Corn Salsa

Ingredients

Stuffed peppers

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Corn-herb salsa

To serve

Optional