Easy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

These easy stuffed peppers with ground turkey are loaded with Mexican flavor and tons of veggies! They’re made without rice, too, so they’re low carb and low calorie! 

A month ago, I couldn’t even think about summer ending. And then the past few weeks brought with them a few high pressure work obligations, lots of perfectionism, and stress…and now I’m just ready for a change. Any change. I talked to Kate about it the other day — both of us just ready to be done with the whole summer — and she agreed. “Maybe we won’t feel as much pressure to be going, going, going in the fall,” she said. I hope so. But then again, I have a feeling this is my way, her way, our way.

Healthy and Easy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey - loaded with Mexican flavor and tons of veggies! They're made without rice, too, so they're low carb and low calorie!

Regardless, fall has so much I want right now: the clothes, the television, and some of the very best food. I want all the comfort.

Healthy Veggie Loaded Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe - with ground turkey, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheddar! There are no grains inside, making this a low carb recipe! Everyone LOVES this filling, super flavorful taco-seasoned stuffed pepper. 374 calories for 2 big pepper halves | andiemitchell.com

Stuffed peppers — cheesy and hearty and packed tightly with extra veggies rather than any grains — are the best way to welcome fall and wave a “thanks so much, bye!” to summer. They’re warm and they’re cozy, but they don’t scream foliage and stew. They’re a September kind of food…an anytime comfort.

Healthy Veggie Loaded Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe - with ground turkey, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheddar! There are no grains inside, making this a low carb recipe! Everyone LOVES this filling, super flavorful taco-seasoned stuffed pepper. 374 calories for 2 big pepper halves | andiemitchell.com

Rather than roasting the peppers for a short time before filling them, as most recipes call for you to do, I use a tip I picked up from Cooks Illustrated; I blanch them. I drop the fresh pepper halves into boiling water for 3 minutes — giving them just enough cooking time to get tender yet hold their shape and retain their bright color.

Healthy Veggie Loaded Mexican Stuffed Peppers Recipe - with ground turkey, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and cheddar! There are no grains inside, making this a low carb recipe! Everyone LOVES this filling, super flavorful taco-seasoned stuffed pepper. 374 calories for 2 big pepper halves | andiemitchell.com

I then stuff them with spicy ground turkey, mushrooms, [even more] chopped bell peppers, onions, jalapeño, and fresh cilantro, then top them with cheddar cheese.

Top with sour cream and some finely chopped cilantro and you’ve got the best dinner around.

 

Veggie Loaded Mexican Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

Healthy Mexican stuffed peppers with ground turkey and tons of veggies in place of rice!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: loaded peppers, mexican stuffed pepper, peppers stuffed with ground turkey, vegetarian stuffed peppers
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 374kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 medium bell peppers any color, cut in half length-wise, ribs and seeds removed
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms finely chopped
  • 1 large red onion finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper ribs and seeds removed, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey breast
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 8- ounce can tomato sauce
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated (1 cup)
  • 4 tablespoons light sour cream for serving (I love Daisy brand)

Instructions

  • In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and jalapeno, and cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until no longer pink. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to coat the turkey and veggies.
  • Add the tomato sauce, stir well to combine, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and the flavors have had a chance to blend and intensify, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.
  • While the turkey mixture is cooking for 12 to 15 minutes, prepare the peppers for stuffing. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Carefully drop 4 of the pepper halves into the boiling water to blanch for 3 minutes, just until they have a little bit of give to them (they will continue to cook out of the water). Use tongs to remove the peppers to a plate and repeat the blanching process with the remaining 4 pepper halves.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil coated with cooking oil. Lay the soft pepper halves cut-side-up and use a spoon to divide the turkey mixture among them, stuffing it inside as best you can.
  • Top each pepper half with 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. Bake the peppers until the cheese is bubbly, browned, and the filling is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes.
  • To serve, dollop half a tablespoon of sour cream on each pepper half and sprinkle additional fresh chopped cilantro over the tops, if desired.

Notes

Nutrition Information WITHOUT Sour Cream: Calories 354, Fat 16g, Carb 17g, Fiber 5g, Sugars 3g, Protein 37g

Nutrition

Serving: 2g | Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 17g | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g

 

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27 thoughts on “Easy Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey

  1. Robyn

    Interesting how the seasons, and especially the change of seasons, affect our outlook so much. I’m experiencing the opposite here in NZ, looking forward to life speeding up again now that winter is over! I’m thinking these could work on the barbecue as well for our summer :)

    Reply
  2. Alice

    This sounds amazing! Would love to implement this into my regular fall menu- how do you think this would do if we grilled it over an outdoor fire? Wondering if it would be good to cover it in aluminum or just straight on the grill?

    Reply
    1. Andie Mitchell Post author

      Oh my gosh they’d be so much BETTER if grilled! They’d get that nice roasty flavor I imagine! I think you should put them directly on the grill so you get that charring and the smokiness that we all love from grilling, but do cover with foil for about 15 mins so that they have a chance to soften up a bit (still follow the directions to blanch/boil the peppers and proceed with all the steps through filling, just use the grill to cook). Check them once they’ve been on the grill for about 5 t0 7 minutes, and every 5 minutes after, until you reach 15 to 20 minutes, so that the bottoms don’t blacken!

      Let me know how it goes–you’ll be the official tester :)

      Reply
  3. Kate

    I guess this is our way, but we can always hope that we’ll slow down! These look so good – stuffed peppers are one of my go-to easy recipes so I have to try these!

    PS – can’t wait for the Daniel post!!

    xo

    Reply
  4. Pingback: Healthy Meal Plan for Sept 8th, 2015 - Health & Fitness Coach | Skinny Mommy Fitness

  5. Hootie

    These look great! I LOVE Fall fashion plus Fall/Winter everything!!! Can’t wait to hear from Daniel. Do we even know what he looks like? Can he get into the kitchen edgewise? Does he have the same excitement about food we have? Because, if he can’t get way too excited about food?! Well, we would still love him. Can’t wait!

    Reply
  6. Rachel

    ok the Stuffed Peppers look fabulous but I’m really interested in hearing from this Daniel I’ve been reading about in your book! Also it is really wonderful to see you posting again! I hope you can keep it up in spite of your busy schedule.

    Reply
  7. Pingback: Friday Favorites |

  8. Kathryn

    Hi Anidie,
    I’m thinking these would be great to take for lunch. Do you think I should bake them and then reheat in the microwave or leave them unbaked and heat through in the microwave?
    Thoughts? Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Yolanda

    Delicious! I’ve also used roasted chili poblanos instead of the peppers,mand Monterrey Pepper Jack cheese instead of the cheddar. My husband thanks you and I thank you.

    Reply
  10. Jessica Kuney

    Thanks for the great recipe. I was getting tired of eating the same thing and you came to the rescue. Just made these and I cannot wait to have them for dinner tonight!! Thanks for the great recipe idea. I also plan to make the Petite Lasagnas later. Keep the yummy food coming!!

    Reply

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