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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Delicious recipe. I love the lightness of turkey, sometimes beef mince can sit a little heavy on me. Pinned. Thanks for a great post. Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com
Thanks Sammie!
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 :)
Ah you are completely right, Robyn. I’m sure I’ll get to the edge of fall, looking dead into winter’s eyes, and want to run screaming :)
Yes, try grilling these!
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?
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 :)
These stuffed peppers look absolutely drool-worthy! I am most definitely ready for the fall, and this looks like the best fall dinner ever.
You are the best, Rachel, I’m telling you.
These are so going on the dinner meal plan next week! :)
Thank you Jenna!
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
I LOVE YOU!!! Our way is a good way xo
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Will definitley try this one! Yum, I love stuffed peppers. At what point are the jalepeno peppers added?
Oh good catch! Just edited the recipe to add the jalapenos into the steps–saute them with the onions and mushrooms!
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!
Hahaha these questions are fantastic–and yes, he does have the same excitement we have about food (though maybe he’s less obvious/obscene than you or I would be?)
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.
Thanks Rachel! And yes–I get the Daniel fascination!
I’m so happy to be posting all the time, so I don’t expect to quit anytime soon :)
I just made these..holy cow I’m in love! Thank you for sharing!
Ah yay! I’m so glad you liked them Jocey! Thanks so much!
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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!
Hey this looks delicious ! and I like the way you have pictures to help with the process. thanks!
I just made these for dinner, and they were so delicious!! Thank you, Andie!
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.
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!!