Meet my favorite recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers. These peppers are delicious and satisfying, loaded with ground turkey, spinach, rice, and cheese—they're too good to resist!
My family loves stuffed peppers, so I keep making variations(check my eggplant stuffed peppers).
There is something special about these turkey-stuffed peppers. The ground turkey is loaded with a flavorful, tomato-based sauce. That sauce is perfectly balanced with cooked rice and served in a bowl of peppers, making it an incredible experience.
If you're a fan of stuffed dishes or have never tried stuffed peppers, I'm sure you’ll adore this recipe's multiple layers of flavors and textures.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe?
⭐️A flavorful and savory dinner.
⭐️Customizable and reusable filling.
⭐️ An excellent meal prep recipe and fantastic for leftovers as well.
Ingredients
- Ground turkey: I've used lean ground turkey(93% lean and 7% fat). However, you can also use ground turkey breast or high-fat ground turkey.
- Rice: You can use the leftover cooked rice straight from the refrigerator. But avoid adding the hot rice, as it may turn mushy.
- Diced tomatoes: I used canned diced tomatoes. You can substitute with fire-roasted diced tomatoes or pureed fresh tomatoes.
- Bell peppers: Choose multiple colors to make the dish more visually appealing. You can substitute with other mildly hot chili peppers, like poblano and banana peppers.
- Spinach: You can use fresh or frozen spinach.
- Garlic powder: Easy and convenient, you can also use minced fresh garlic.
- Smoked paprika: This spice adds subtle heat and a bright color to the filling.
- Cilantro: Cilantro provides a refreshing flavor that melds well with the other ingredients.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Cheddar cheese complements the pepper flavors nicely.
How to Make Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice the bell peppers, remove the seeds, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, and place them in a baking tray.
- Cook ground turkey over medium heat, then mix in diced tomatoes, spinach, cooked rice, parsley, salt, and paprika.
- Sauté until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in ¾ of the grated cheddar cheese.
- Stuff the peppers with the turkey mixture, packing it tightly. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the center reaches 165°F.
Storage & Reheating
This recipe makes three whole peppers or six halves, but the size of the peppers can vary; sometimes, you may have some leftover filling.
No worries, You can repurpose this filling to make deconstructed stuffed peppers or make stuffed peppers again.
You can store the filling and stuffed peppers in an airtight container for up to four days in the fridge or four months in the freezer.
Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 25 minutes or microwave for 2-3 minutes until warm.
FAQ
Pair stuffed peppers with a simple side salad or roasted vegetables for a balanced meal. For extra flavor, add soup, bread, or salsa(like this tomatillo red chili salsa).
Blanching softens the peppers, making them cook evenly and quickly. This process also allows the peppers to absorb the flavors better.
In this turkey stuffed peppers recipe, you can swap rice with other grains like quinoa or brown rice.
Other vegetables, such as zucchini, mushrooms, or squash, work perfectly in this turkey stuffed peppers recipe.
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers any color
- 1 pound ground turkey
- ½ cup cooked rice
- 14 oz diced tomato
- 1 cup spinach tightly packed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup parsley /cilantro-minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
Prepping
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- And place a pot filled with water over high heat, and allow it to boil.
- Chop the stem and remove the core and the seeds gently.
- Add the bell pepper to the boiling water and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes(blanching) or until the peppers turn slightly soft.
- Drain and place them in the baking tray with the hollow side facing up. And set aside.
Make the filling
- Place a pan over medium heat. Add ground turkey and garlic powder. And cook until it is done.
- Stir in a can of diced tomato(14oz) along with this liquid.
- Now add spinach, cooked rice, chopped parsley, salt, and paprika.
- And sauté until non-liquid is seen.
- Remove it from the heat. And now toss in ¾ quantity of the sharp cheddar cheese.
- And mix them gently.
Assemble
- Next, fill the pepper's cavity with the turkey mixture by packing it tightly.
- Now sprinkle the remaining ¼ quantity of the cheese over the top.
Baking
- And bake the peppers for about 20-30 minutes or until the edges wilt and the center of the stuffing turns warm(until it reaches 165°F).
- ENJOY!!
Notes
- Leftover filling can be used to make deconstructed stuffed peppers or use it to make stuffed peppers again.
- Store leftover turkey stuffed peppers in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
- Reheat stuffed peppers at 350°F in the oven for 25 minutes or microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed these for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Easy, hearty and delicious; loved the balance of flavors and textures!
DK says
Fantastic recipe! I added a little bit of bacon to my stuffing cause I wanted that fatty goodness and they turned out just great!