Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

These delicious turkey stuffed peppers are filled with a tasty combination of lean ground turkey, healthy brown rice, tomato sauce, seasonings and melty cheese.

The Best Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I adore stuffed peppers and this being the case I’ve shared a number of them here at Healthy Seasonal Recipes, from our Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers and these Italian-inspired Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers to these Quinoa Turkey Mexican Stuffed Peppers. We have covered some ground!

I am back with another healthy stuffed pepper recipe because stuffed vegetables are the perfect comfort food meal when you want to eat healthy. Besides, family-approved vegetable-forward recipes are my jam! This turkey stuffed pepper recipe is classic-tasting but healthier because it is made with whole-grain brown rice and the lean goodness of ground turkey meat!

Ingredients For Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

• Bell Peppers: For these ground turkey stuffed peppers we’ll use six medium to large peppers. While everyone can agree peppers are good for you, not everyone agrees on which color of pepper tastes best. And since not everyone loves green bell peppers you can choose any color you like or a blend of colors! Look for six that are relatively similar in size and seem like they can stand up on end.
• Ground Turkey: The star of this recipe (besides the peppers) is our ground turkey instead of red meat. Look for lean turkey that is at least 90% lean. There is plenty of sauce to go around so you do not need any higher fat blends. 95% or 99% also works if you like the leanest available grind.
• Cooked Brown Rice: To make this recipe super easy, we used packaged cooked brown rice. If you are not familiar with it, it comes in 2 cup pouches and is shelf stable and sold with rice in large supermarkets and grocery stores. These packages are designed to be microwaved, but you can use the rice in recipes just as you would leftover rice. Just make sure to break up the rice before you open the package. It will blend into the meat and sauce more easily if you break it up first. You can also use homemade cooked brown rice.
• Tomato Sauce: Canned tomato sauce is perfect for the filling because of its thinner consistency (and inexpensive price.) The flavors blend as the rice absorbs the sauce. You can also use 2 cups of jarred pasta sauce or marinara sauce if you happen to have that on hand.
• Seasonings and Kitchen Staples: You’ll need a little extra-virgin olive oil to cook the ground turkey for this healthy stuffed pepper recipe, but any cooking oil will do. For seasoning we used a blend of paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder and salt and black pepper.
• Fresh Basil: The flavor of fresh basil really peps up the taste of the bell pepper filling.
• Shredded Cheese: To finish off the turkey stuffed peppers I melted on some shredded cheese. I used the pre-shredded Italian Cheese blend or Pizza Cheese from the dairy case, but you can hand grate fontina which is an excellent melting cheese. You can also shave even more fat and calories from this dish by using a reduced fat cheese, though they do not melt as well.

How To Make Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I tested this recipe four times and after trial and error, I found they worked best and had the best texture if the hollowed-out bell peppers were baked first before adding the filling. This allows them to get nice and tender. Meanwhile, the easy turkey filling cooks in a skillet. Then they’re stuffed, topped with cheese and baked again.

Step 1: Prep Peppers

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. To prep the peppers, first cut the tops off and discard stems and seeds. If they can’t stand up, you may need to trim a sliver off the bottom of the peppers. Next, finely dice the pepper tops which will go into the filling in step 3. 

Step 2: Precook Peppers in The Oven

Place the hollowed-out bell peppers, cut side down, in large baking dish. Add in about a quarter inch of water to keep them moist, then cover them with foil. Bake the baking dish of peppers until they’re tender, about 50 minutes. Once they are tender, remove the foil and drain away the liquid. Flip them over with tongs.

TO MICROWAVE: You can also do this step in the microwave (if your microwave is large enough to accommodate the baking dish.) Place them in the baking dish as directed but cover them with a layer of parchment and plastic wrap (instead of foil) and then microwave them on high for 5 minutes. Let them sit in the boiling hot water, covered for 10 minutes longer to continue softening.

Step 3: Make Ground Turkey Filling

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add turkey and diced pepper tops. Cook, breaking up with a spatula until the turkey is just crumbled into pieces. Sprinkle with paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook, crumbling the turkey with a wooden spoon until the turkey is no-longer pink and the pepper pieces are tender, 6 to 7 minutes. 

Step 4: Add Rice and Sauce To Stuffing Mixture

Stir in the cooked rice, tomato sauce and basil if using until thoroughly combined. Remove from the heat.

Step 5: Stuff Peppers with Turkey

When the peppers are done, reheat the turkey mixture, if necessary, until bubbling hot. Spoon turkey filling into the peppers (photo 5a) and top with cheese (photo 5b).

Step 6: Bake Stuffed Peppers with Cheese on Top

Bake uncovered until cheese is melted and the peppers are hot, 8 to 10 minutes. Alternatively, microwave on high until the peppers are hot all the way through and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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