Stuffed peppers are one of those things I fondly remember my mom making when I was growing up. Bell peppers full of a mix of ground beef and rice with some tomato sauce and lots of gooey melted cheese on top, yum! I mostly remember green peppers being used, probably because they were the cheapest, and the filling was a great way for my mom to stretch what little “hamburg” (if you are from New England you’ll recognize the term) we had on hand. She was after all a single mom on a tight government worker’s budget.
I like to use red bell peppers because I like the sweeter flavor they have but green are good too and usually are the cheapest. But when I see a good deal on the red, yellow, or orange peppers I snatch them up! This was the case recently when they had the red ones on sale for less than a buck each at my local grocery so I got 4 nice big ones.
I also grabbed a package of Italian seasoned ground turkey that was on sale and decided to use it instead of ground beef. Now, rice is what I typically would use in my stuffed peppers especially if I happen to have some leftover from another meal. But I had a box of rosemary and olive oil flavored quinoa and brown rice mix in the cupboard and I thought that would be a nice compliment to the Italian seasoning in the ground turkey. Add in some tomato sauce, some good Parm, and then top with shredded mozzarella and you’ve got a winner!
Lets jump over the swirly orange pepper and I'll share the recipe and some pics!
Ground Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed bell peppers with ground turkey and quinoa. A bit lighter take on the traditional!
The prepped peppers before going into the oven.
Ingredients
1.25 lb package of Italian seasoned ground turkey (regular is fine too, just add your own seasonings)
3 large red bell peppers
1 box Near East Rosemary & Olive Oil flavor Quinoa and Brown Rice
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup water
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°
Prepare the quinoa/rice mix according to the package directions.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil and brown the ground turkey seasoning with salt and pepper.
Add the cooked and fluffed quinoa/rice to the turkey and taste for seasoning, adjusting as needed.
Add the grated Parm, and ½ of the can of tomato sauce. Toss to combine.
Core, seed and slice the bell peppers into halves. Try to leave as much of the sides and tops as you can so they make "boats".
Lay your peppers into a greased 9x13" baking dish.
Fill each half with the turkey and quinoa mix, packing it in lightly.
Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers then sprinkle each liberally with breadcrumbs. Top with the grated mozzarella.
Pour the water into the dish around the peppers.
Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until the peppers are easily pierced with a sharp knife.
Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes or until the cheese and breadcrumb topping is golden brown.
Gooey cheesy peppers hot out of the oven!
So, tonight I am making some chicken drumsticks that I picked up cheap at the store. Not sure what else yet. What's for dinner at your place tonight?