This Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey recipe is an easy, healthy, and tasty dinner idea. If you love traditional stuffed peppers, you’ll love this lightened up recipe and so will the whole family!
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If your family is anything like my family, it can be hard to find a meal everyone will enjoy. And by that I mean a healthy, nutritious meal…not chicken nuggets and fries. I think my kids would eat that everyday if they could.
Thankfully, these Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey were a success! I think the melted cheese on top is appealing, and when you take a bite, the flavor is amazing. The turkey mixture with rice is fabulous! I hope you give them a try!
What You Need – Ingredients:
Large Bell Peppers
You can use any color bell pepper. I personally like to use red peppers, but yellow, orange, or green peppers would also be delicious. Bell peppers are full of vitamin A and C. They can help boost your immune system, improve eye and skin health, and have many anti-inflammatory properties.
Ground Turkey
Lean ground turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than ground beef. It contains protein, and contains lots of nutrients. It contains lots of B vitamins and is an excellent source of selenium. Ground chicken will work in place of ground turkey if you prefer.
Onion
Onions are full of antioxidants and compounds that can help fight inflammation and reduce cholesterol levels. They contain lots of vitamin C, vitamin B, potassium and can even fight potentially dangerous bacteria.
Rice
You can use whatever kind of rice you like as long as it’s cooked first. I’ve used both white and brown rice, but wild rice or even cauliflower rice would work well too. Wild rice contains the most protein, and is full of fiber, potassium, and zinc. Brown rice is a whole grain that’s rich in dietary fiber and magnesium. Unlike brown rice, white rice has the bran and germ removed. It’s left with less nutrients, but tends to cook faster and have a softer texture.
Italian Seasoning Blend
The flavor from the Italian seasoning blend is delicious in these stuffed peppers with ground turkey. If you don’t have any on hand, you can easily make your own. It’s a blend of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and garlic powder. Sometimes you’ll find red chili flakes, too, and if you want to add some heat, add some of those!
Salt
Just one teaspoon salt is a great way to add the perfect touch of flavor.
Garlic
I use one finely chopped clove, but if you’re a garlic lover, feel free to add as much as your heart desires. Garlic is full of medicinal properties, and can even help combat sickness such as a cold. The active compounds in garlic are great for reducing blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels.
Tomato Sauce
Tomato sauce can improve heart health, digestive health, and is full of so many essential vitamins. It contains lots of vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
I think sharp cheddar is the best kind of cheese in this recipe, but you can use whatever kind you like. Monterey jack or mozzarella cheese would be just as delicious! Cheddar cheese is a great source of calcium, vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron. You can also do without the cheese if you’d prefer.
How to make Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey
-
Heat oven to 350°F.
-
Use a sharp knife to remove the top (stem side) of the peppers. Remove seeds and membranes.
- In a large skillet, cook your turkey and onion over medium heat for about 7 to 9 minutes. Stir it occasionally, until the turkey is golden brown, and drain. While keeping the stove on medium-high heat, stir in rice, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic and the tomato sauce into your ground meat and onion mixture. Cook until hot.
- Stuff peppers with your meat mixture. Stand peppers upright in a square baking dish.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake 10 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer, until the peppers are crisp-tender, adding cheese to the top of the peppers in the last 5 minutes of the baking time. Enjoy!
FAQS:
Do you have to parboil the peppers before stuffing them?
I don’t find parboiling your bell peppers before stuffing them necessary, They tend to get too soft, and don’t hold their shape well. I like a crisp bell pepper for this recipe, and they get plenty soft when you bake them; however, if you like a really soft pepper, feel free to parboil them first.
What kind of rice should I use?
I’ve used both white and brown rice. White rice contains the least amount of nutrients, but results in a little bit of a softer texture, and takes less time to cook. Brown rice is a little bit healthier than white rice because it contains whole grains, dietary fiber, and magnesium. You can use whatever kind you like as long as it’s cooked.
What color of bell pepper should I use?
You can use any color, I like to use red as they are my family’s favorite. Yellow, orange, or green bell peppers will all work!
Can you reheat a stuffed bell pepper?
I would recommend reheating any leftovers in the oven. Just bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes, or until they are hot enough.
Looking for other delicious, healthy dinner recipes your family will love? Try my Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Crockpot White Chicken Chili, and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breast. You might also love these Quinoa Stuffed Peppers or this Stuffed Pepper Soup if you’re a big stuffed peppers fan!
If you make these Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey or any of my other healthy recipes, please share it on Instagram and I’ll feature you! Also, if you try it, please leave a comment with a star rating below! Those star ratings are so helpful in helping my recipes get discovered. I appreciate you!
Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey are easy to make with simple ingredients and make a healthy dinner the whole family loves!
Ingredients
- large bell peppers (any color)
- 1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons chopped onion
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
-
Heat oven to 350°F.
-
Use a sharp knife to remove the top (stem side) of the peppers*. Remove seeds and membranes.
- In a large skillet, cook turkey and onion over medium heat 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is brown; drain. Stir in rice, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic and the tomato sauce; cook until hot.
- Stuff peppers with turkey mixture. Stand peppers upright in square baking dish.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake 10 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 minutes longer, until the peppers are crisp-tender, adding cheese to the top of the peppers in the last 5 minutes of the baking time. Enjoy!
Notes
Tips
- I like to chop the part of the pepper surrounding the stem and use it for salads. No need to waste that part!
- I don’t find parboiling the peppers is necessary as they get very soft when I have done that and don’t hold their shape as well. I love a crisp-tender bell pepper and feel it gets plenty soft enough during the cooking time. If you prefer to have much softer peppers, parboil your peppers for about 2 minutes.
- You can use any color or variety of sweet bell peppers.
- Brown rice will be your healthiest choice here, but if you’re in a rush, white rice is just fine.
- The cheese is optional here. Feel free to leave it off and these are both gluten free and dairy free!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: dinner recipes
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 11 g.
- Sodium: 840.4 mg.
- Fat: 18.7 g.
- Carbohydrates: 30.9 g.
- Fiber: 5.5 g.
- Protein: 31.1 g.
- Cholesterol: 108.6 mg.
wuxiaworld says
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!