Stuffed peppers. They have a bad reputation, don’t you think? It’s kind of like meatloaf. If done right, it can be REALLY good, but if done wrong? ACK! No thank you!
Today Jen Widerstrom and I bring you spicy stuffed peppers, done right.
Backing up a minute. Did you watch us on Facebook Live last night? We made our No Bake Oatmeal Energy Bites and we had SO much fun doing it! If you missed it, you can find the video on my Facebook page. We get pretty silly, but there are also some great takeaways from it!
You guys. These stuffed peppers are a great way to get in more veggies. They’re completely satisfying, filled with lean turkey meat, hearty mushrooms, and brown rice. They’re easy to put together and make great leftovers!
Don’t be afraid of the classics. These stuffed peppers will be a part of your weekly rotation in no time.
- 3-4 bell peppers (depending on the size)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
- 8 ounces crimini mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey meat
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
- Large handful of spinach, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons basil, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1) Prepare the peppers by cutting them in half through the stem, remove the core, place in a large baking dish and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- 2) Heat the oil in a large pan over medium/high heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- 3) Add the turkey meat, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes, and break up the meat while incorporating all the spices. Cook for 5-7 minutes until meat is no longer pink.
- 4) Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the crushed tomatoes and let the mixture simmer over low heat for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasonings at this time adding more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. Add the cooked rice, spinach, and basil and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.
- 5) Spoon the mixture into the halved bell peppers until nice and full. Top each pepper with a little bit of cheese. Pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the baking dish and cover the dish lightly with foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until peppers are just tender. Serve immediately!
- *There should be extra of the sauce mixture. I like to serve a little bit along side of each pepper. You can also choose to make more stuffed peppers with it!
Jenah says
These look amazing! Can’t wait to make them 🙂
Danielle - The Creative Bite says
I need to make a batch of these for dinner! They will make great leftovers for lunch at work. YUM!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
Love stuffed peppers!
ashley - baker by nature says
Definitely need to make this for dinner tonight!
Sabrina Modelle says
These look fabulous. Haven’t had stuffed peppers in ages. Thanks for the reminder!
Tiffin says
I could use the nutritional info on this recipe if available.
I’ve lost 40 lbs keeping track of calories, and I cook for my dad – both my dad & I are eating low sodium.
Thanks! Looks & sounds yummy!
Life is but a Dish says
Unfortunately I don’t have the info for this, but there are many tools online where you can type in the ingredients to find out! Keep up the great work!
Kristin says
Is there a way to alter the recipe to make these not spicy?
Life is but a Dish says
You can simply leave out the red pepper flakes!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I actually love stuffed peppers but haven’t made them in ages! Thanks for the inspiration!
Life is but a Dish says
I know, I always forget about them!