Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Turkey Stuffed Peppers are an easy dinner idea or even a side dish… depending on the size of the pepper and your appetite. Use ground turkey, chopped deli meat or even leftover shredded Thanksgiving turkey.

 

These bell peppers are filled with spinach, onion, garlic, white beans and cheese, everyone in the family will love them. They are make ahead friendly, low carb and also fantastic for meal prep.

What You’ll Need

The ingredient list is short and super verstile. A little more or a little less of any ingredient will still provide a great, flavorful meal.

• Virgin Olive Oil– Any neutral oil can be used. Other ideas are vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado seed oil.
• Sweet Onion– If you are seeking a more robust onion flavor, swap this for a white or yellow onion.
• Garlic– Measure garlic with your heart! Some say this is too much, I ask if 5 cloves is enough…
• Flat Parsley- Also known as Italian parsley, flat has a better herbious flavor compared to curly parsley which is better suited for garnish.
• Ground Turkey– Turkey can be substituted with ground beef, chicken, pork or tofu if desired. If you buy a big package, save the rest to make a Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet.
• Chopped Frozen Spinach– No need to thaw it- just toss in the brick of greens! Fresh can of course be used and takes about the same amount of time to sweat down. This will be the largest provider of liquid, make sure it simmers off before spooning into the bell pepper shells.
• Large bell peppers- I use a variety of colors because they look pretty, but they do have slightly different tastes too. Identify ones that are large and cavernous so you can fit a lot of filling in. I cut them lengthwise so they are like boats or bowls.
• Cumin– Cumin, although a tan dried powder, comes from the parsley family and provides great flavor in a variety of global cuisines.
• Adobo Seasoning– See below.
• Cayenne Pepper– Just a dash for color and flavor, but can be omitted.
• Cannellini beans (canned)– Also known as navy bean (even though they are cream-colored), haricot, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean. The canned variety are already softened, which saves time. Drain and rinse well. Other large tender beans can be swapped out, like Great Northern.
• White Cheddar Cheese– I strongly suggest freshly shredding your cheese for the best melty outcomes. Many flavors of cheese can be swapped out- use up the bits and scraps from your cheese drawer!

What is Adobo Seasoning?

While traditional stuffed peppers are of Italian influence, I use Adobo seasoning for my Turkey Stuffed Peppers, giving them a Latin flare. Adobo seasoning is a mixture of salt, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. It is fairly mild as far as spice, but provides a nice, sophisticated flavor.

It is easy enough to make at home, but you can also buy it premade and use it anything from anything from chili to tacos. You can find it in the International or spice section of your grocery store. It adds a bit of smoke to the flavor.

How to Make Turkey Stuffed Peppers

1. Preheat the oven and heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Find a casserole dish that will snuggly fit all of the pepper halves. Spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Saute the onions, garlic and parsley in the hot olive oil until soft and translucent.

3. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with your spoon, turning to brown, and then stir in the frozen spinach, cumin, Adobe seasoning and cayenne.

4. Cook until the meat is fully cooked and brown, then add the cannellini beans and stir again and remove from the heat.

4. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and membranes. Place the bell peppers into a baking dish, fitting them snugly together.

4. Spoon the mixture into each bell pepper, filling only halfway. Sprinkle cheese in each pepper and then resume spooning in filling until full.

4. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the peppers from the oven. Remove aluminum foil and top each with remaining cheese. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.
5. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 3-4 minutes before serving. Just like meat, it helps to let them rest so all the juices can redistribute.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Make-Ahead: This stuffed pepper recipe is great for making ahead, reheating and meal prep. Assemble up until cooking or fully cook and reheat in the oven or microwave up to 5 days ahead of time!

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I do not suggest freezing these stuffed peppers. Because peppers are so full of water, as is the spinach and beans, they defrost a little grainy.

More Healthy Recipes

• Stuffed Pepper Casserole
• Health Jambalaya
• Beef Bowl
• Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Pizza Stuffed Peppers