Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

5 from 1 vote

Stuffed with nutrition, ground turkey peppers are a nice little package. To save time, make the stuffing ahead. When it’s time for dinner, warm stuffing, stuff, peppers and bake. Serve with a big tossed green salad for a healthy balance.

Prep Time20

Cook Time50

Total Time1 10

Course: Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 370kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Equipment

Casserole dish for baking

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa about ⅓ uncooked
4 large bell peppers: red, orange, green or yellow
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
1 pound ground turkey 93% lean, beef, bison, or crumbled tofu.
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon jarred ginger puree or ground ginger ½ teaspoon, optional
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes not drained
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
4 ounces crumbled Greek feta cheese or goat cheese

Instructions

Prepare the peppers for stuffing

If the peppers are round and fat, cut off the top and stuff peppers standing. If the shape is more long and narrow, do not cut off the top. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise from stem to bottom.
With a sharp paring knife and your fingers, trim out the ribs and seeds until the pepper is clean inside. If they do not sit flat, trim a tiny bit off the bottom so they are stable. Be careful not to cut through the pepper.

Cook pepper stuffing

Heat oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it is soft and translucent. Turn heat down to medium low if it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add the turkey, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring with a wooden spatula breaking up the turkey, until the pink is just gone. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice, parsley, feta, and quinoa.

Stuff peppers and bake

Fill peppers mounding a little on top. Place peppers in a shallow casserole or baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 375°F degree oven until hot all of the way through, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (74C), about 45-50 minutes. Serve right away or cool completely, cover the peppers and refrigerate. To serve the next day, heat covered in a 350 oven until hot. How long depends on how cold they are coming out of the refrigerator.
The best way to work ahead and save time is to make the stuffing and refrigerate, then stuff peppers and bake fresh.

Notes

For 2 servings: make the entire recipe for the stuffing. Use what you need and freeze the extra for future stuffed peppers. That’s a good time saving step.

How to cook quinoa:

Start by rinsing the quinoa under cold running through a fine sieve. Place rinsed quinoa in a small pot. To the pot, add double the volume of cold water for the amount of quinoa. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to low. Cook approximately 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep the lid on. Allow to finish by steaming 5-10 minutes more. Fluff with a fork and set aside. For fast cooling, spread on a rimmed baking sheet.

Nutrition