Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Turkey stuffed bell peppers look colorful, taste comforting, and quietly deliver protein, brown or wild rice, and veggies in every bite.

The children in my care absolutely love this basic turkey stuffed bell pepper recipe from Cooking for My Soul web site, except I stuff an entire bell pepper per serving instead of cutting the bell peppers in half.

The 4-year-old in my care eats one pepper for dinner while his school aged siblings usually eat two stuffed peppers each. If you are making stuffed peppers for a toddler for the first time, stuffing half a bell pepper makes sense.

You Will Need:

1 pound ground turkey
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with its juices
1 ½ cups cooked wild long grain rice or brown rice
⅓ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley – plus more for garnish
3 to 6 bell peppers – assorted colors
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/3 cup water

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Cook the wild rice or brown rice while starting the rest of the filling.

Make the Filling

3. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Cook the ground turkey until fully cooked, breaking it up with a spatula or wooden spoon. Push it to one side of the skillet.

4. Add a few more drizzles of olive oil and stir in the diced onions and minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, and mix it back with the ground turkey.

5. Add the Italian seasoning, canned diced tomatoes and cooked rice. Mix evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chopped parsley and ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese and combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble and Bake

6. Cut each pepper in half, from top to bottom and remove the stem. Or, to fill a full bell pepper like I did cut off the top of the pepper to remove the stem. You may want to trim the bottom of the pepper a little k so that it stands flat and doesn’t tip over. Remove the seeds and

7. Drizzle the inside of the peppers with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. It doesn’t have to be precise.

8. Fill the peppers with the prepared filling evenly. Arrange them on a 9×13 inch baking dish (filling side up). Add a little bit of water to the bottom of the pan, about ⅓ cup. The water will allow the peppers to steam and tender as they cook. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

9 Bake, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes or until the peppers are tender.

10. Uncover, and top the peppers with the remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven (uncovered) and bake for another 10-12 minutes until melted. Broil for 1-2 minutes until golden brown on top. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

References:

Recipe from Cooking for My Soul
Photo by Stephanie Felzenberg

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