Fitness / March 17, 2023

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

These delicious and healthy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers are fun to make and can be customized to suit your tastes. You’ll never get bored eating these protein-packed veggie delights.

Table of Contents

Why You Will LOVE This Recipe

Ground turkey is a healthy alternative to ground beef. It’s still high in protein but without the added fat.
The ingredients can be customized to suit your taste buds (and those of your family!). See the ‘Variations’ section for some suggestions.
It’s a great way to get your kids to eat vegetables (apparently stuffing things inside a vegetable makes them more fun to eat)
The peppers, with their bright colors, make for a pleasant presentation. Perfect for when guests come over and see this rainbow of food in front of them.
Stuffed peppers store well, so you can prep these days in advance and warm them up when you’re ready to eat.

Are Turkey Stuffed Peppers Good For You?

TOTALLY! Turkey stuffed peppers can be really good for you. The peppers themselves are super nutritious, loaded with vitamins and minerals. And when you stuff them with lean ground turkey, you’re adding a SOLID dose of protein to the mix (and you readers know how much I love proteins). The ingredients you use for stuffing will also affect the dish’s overall nutrition so be sure to use whole foods — or better yet, follow my recipe for a heathy and protein-packed meal!

INGREDIENTS

6 large bell peppers, variety of colors
2 cups of farro or brown rice, cooked
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup parmesan
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook farro and set aside. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds. If you don’t have farro, you can replace it with rice (ideally brown)

Cook:

Saute ground turkey until cooked, draining any fat. Add oil and onion to turkey. When onion is translucent, add garlic and thyme. Add crushed tomatoes to meat mixture. Saute on LOW 5-8 minutes until slightly reduced. Turn off heat and add farro.

Assemble:

Fill peppers with mixture and set in cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.

Bake:

Bake 25-30 min or until peppers are soft. Top with cheese and bake for 2 more minutes or until cheese has melted.

Variations

These varieties keep the peppers and the ground turkey but add other ingredients to make for some interesting, themed dinners.

Mexican-style stuffed peppers: Make a fiesta by combining the ground turkey with Mexi-cuisine staples black beans, corn, tomatoes, and spices like cumin and chili powder. Shred cheese on top and finish off with fresh cilantro.

Healthy Stuffed Peppers With Ham And Cheese: These healthy stuffed peppers are made with cauliflower rice to keep them low carb! They’re stuffed with ham and cheese for a comforting, weeknight dinner!

Mediterranean-style stuffed peppers: These grilled stuffed peppers have bright, Mediterranean flavors and are an easy, healthy and gluten free dinner that everyone will love!

Greek Healthy Quinoa Turkey Stuffed Peppers: These Healthy Turkey Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers are an easy, crowd-pleasing, weeknight dinner packed with Greek flavors! Gluten free, dairy free and yummy!

Italian-style stuffed peppers: Pizza in a pepper! Ground turkey, cooked rice, tomato sauce, chopped mushrooms, and Italian spices like basil and oregano are topped with mozzarella and fresh basil. Add pepperoni at your discretion.

Breakfast-style stuffed peppers: Stuffed peppers aren’t just for dinner anymore! Use ground turkey, scrambled eggs, chopped spinach, and shredded cheddar cheese. Serve with a side of fresh fruit. Healthy and delicious.

Vegetarian stuffed peppers: We’ll ditch the turkey for this last one and use cooked lentils or black beans instead. Mix with chopped veggies like bell peppers, onions, and carrots. You can add quinoa or just increase the amount of farro.

FAQs

how do you prevent the peppers from tipping over?

Trim the bottoms of peppers so they sit up straight.

can i leave the seeds and white interior intact?

Yes, you can leave the seeds and white membrane intact, though this will obviously alter the texture. The main reason remove the seeds and membrane, though, is that these bits generally have a bitter taste and may increase the heat of the pepper. If you don’t mind this then by all means, leave them in.

Can i use ground beef instead of turkey?

Yes, though turkey is the healthier choice. Be sure to cook your beef thoroughly (it may take longer than turkey) and drain the fat after cooking. Beef is more flavorful than turkey so you may also want to adjust the seasoning used.

what is farro?

Farro is an Italian grain. It has a nutty flavor and very chewy. It’s high in protein and makes for a healthy substitute for rice and pasta in many dishes. If you can’t find it at your regular grocery store, try a health food store or specialty store. Whole Foods, for instance, should carry it.

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

These delicious and healthy Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers are fun to make and can be customized to suit your tastes. You’ll never get bored eating these protein-packed veggie delights.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings

Calories 327kcal

Author Taylor Kiser

Ingredients

6 large bell peppers variety of colors
2 cups of farro cooked (rice also works)
1 lb ground turkey
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup parmesan
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F
Cook farro and set aside
Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds. Saute ground turkey until cooked, draining any fat
Add oil and onion to turkey. When onion is translucent add garlic and thyme.
Add crushed tomatoes to meat mixture, saute on LOW 5-8 min until reduced.
Turn off heat and add farro.
Fill peppers with mixture and set in cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.
Bake 25-30 min or until peppers are soft.
Top with cheese and bake for 2 more minutes or until cheese has melted.