Zesty Stuffed Bell Peppers

Sally
by Sally
8 Servings
1 hr 20 min

The options are endless when it comes to selecting ingredients to stuff bell peppers with. Additionally, you have to choose which color or colors of bell peppers to use: red, yellow, orange, or green? For my zesty stuffed bell pepper recipe, I use a combination of ground turkey, rice, tomato sauce, and cheeses to stuff green bell peppers. This recipe can be made in three steps. I start by cooking the rice and parboiling the bell peppers, then I make my filling before, finally stuffing and baking the bell peppers.


Dinner is ready and it is going to be ZESTY!! Don’t want to make 8 stuffed bell peppers? The filling freezes beautifully. Freeze part of it to use later. Alternately, you can or use part of the delicious filling in a bell pepper stir-fry. Similar to sheet pan dinners and casseroles, zesty stuffed bell peppers are an all-in-one meal. I like to prep this meal on Sunday to serve a day or two later. I hope you will enjoy making this meal!

Zesty Stuffed Bell Peppers made in three steps.

I use a small scoop to place the filling into my parboiled green bell peppers before baking for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 1: Cook rice according to package directions. Parboil bell peppers.


Sauté onion and bell pepper before browning the ground turkey.

Mix all ingredients together in a skillet before finally stuffing bell the peppers.

Zesty Stuffed Bell Peppers
Recipe details
  • 8  Servings
  • Prep time: 50 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 20 min
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Ingredients

  • 8 green bell peppers
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1lb lean ground turkey
  • 1.5 cups good tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan
  • 3 cups of cooked long grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella, plus extra
Instructions
Step 1
This recipe calls for 3 cups of cooked white rice. I use basmati rice, and prepare the rice according to the package directions. Once the rice is cooked, set it aside to use in the filling. While the rice is cooking, I prepare my green bell peppers by removing the tops of each bell pepper with a sharp knife. Remove all seeds from the inside of each bell pepper. In a large pot of boiling water, parboil your cleaned bell peppers for 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove your bell peppers with a slotted spoon and allow them to dry on a paper towels. Do not discard the tops of the bell peppers. The filling calls for ½ cup of chopped green bell pepper. Remove the stems from the tops of the bell peppers and chop the tops to yield a ½ cup of chopped bell pepper, then set aside.
Step 2
In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup of chopped yellow onion, ½ cup of chopped bell pepper, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper and sauté these ingredients for 3-4 minutes. Add the lean ground turkey to the skillet and cook until it is no longer pink. Use a spatula to break up the lumps of ground turkey. Once your ground turkey is lightly browned (this usually takes 6-7 minutes) use a spatula to guide all your ingredients to one side of the skillet, then remove the excess liquid with a large spoon. Over low heat, add 3 cups of cooked rice, 1.5 cups of good tomato sauce, and ½ cup of shredded Parmesan to the skillet. Use a spatula to mix all ingredients until fully combined. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in a ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Time to stuff the bell peppers with the prepared filling. Stuff each parboiled bell pepper with the rice filling using a small scoop or spoon. Fill each bell pepper to the top, and top with a hefty pinch of mozzarella cheese. Place each stuffed bell pepper in a baking dish that is filled with 1/8 inch of water. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Tips
  • The ground turkey I used for testing purposes was Jennie-O’s lean 93/7 lean ground turkey. My tomato sauce of choice is Rao’s Tomato Sauce.
  • The filling for the recipe can be served as a meal on its own. Or with a side of stir-fried bell peppers.
Sally
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