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These Italian stuffed peppers are made with fresh, nutrient dense ingredients. Full of seasoning, cheese and ground turkey. You can pick any grain of choice but I love to use brown or white rice. Great for meal prep and for entertaining. Your family will enjoy the heck out of these.
Table of contents
Why Make This Recipe
This recipe is nutrient dense, lower in fat since we use lean ground turkey. They are fresh, textured and easily customizable. I love stuffed peppers and I enjoy making different styles of them. These are italian style with italian herbs, cheeses, and tomatoes. You can also top them with extra marinara sauce if you crave even more Italian flavors. They pair great with crispy garlic bread or steamed broccoli. My number one favorite meal for prep.
Ingredients For This Recipe
Red Bell Peppers. Any color of choice.
Lean Ground Turkey.
Olive Oil. Neutral in flavor.
Seasonings. Garlic powder, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, salt, pepper.
Diced Tomatoes. In a can, Italian seasoned is best.
Rice. Any grain of choice will work. I use brown rice. Make your own or buy cooked rice like Uncle Bens or any brand of choice.
Garlic. Fresh chopped garlic.
Onion. Yellow or white onion.
Cheese. Any cheese will work, Italian blend or mozzarella is my favorite.
Marinara. Optional for topping.
Steps To Make Italian Stuffed Peppers
Step One. Preheat oven to 375º Start cooking rice. While rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium to large pan. Chop onions and garlic. Add ground turkey to medium high heat oiled skillet or pan. Brown turkey for about 4 minutes. Add in onions and garlic and sauté for another 4 minutes.
Step Two. Once turkey is browned and onions and garlic have started to sweat, add in rice, seasonings, tomatoes. Let everything simmer together well, about 6 minutes. Once everything is mixed well and cooked through, add in cheeses. Turn the heat off and mix the cheese in well.
Step Three. Slice bell peppers vertically. Clean out seeds, white flesh and stems. Spray a large 9x13in baking dish with nonstick spray. Lay the peppers down in the dish with the open side facing up. Stuff them full with the cheesy, turkey mixture. Make sure you press the mixture in firmly so they are bursting with filling.
Step Four. Sprinkle a little more cheese on the top of each pepper. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until the peppers are sweating, softened and cheese is melty and bubbling. Enjoy right away or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days for meal prep.
FAQ’s & Tips
Use any grain and any cheese of choice to make this recipe more enjoyable to your unique tastebuds. This recipe is perfect for meal prepping, you can make it ahead and keep in the fridge up to 5 days or freeze for up to two weeks in a ziplock bag.
I enjoy orange, red, and yellow the best. Green is the most affordable.
No, you can skip the cheese. It may not stick together in the peppers as perfect but it will be absolutely scrumptious still and quite healthier.
Yes, ground chicken, beef or turkey will work. To keep it lower in fat, go with chicken or turkey.
Yes! Sub out the tomatoes for pasta or marinara sauce and you can also top it with sauce. I use tomatoes to keep the calorie count down just a bit.
Other Recipes To Enjoy
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Italian Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell Peppers
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1½ -2 cup rice, *cooked
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried or fresh thyme
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup canned diced tomatoes, *see notes for substitute
- ⅓ cup mozzarella , *extra for topping
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley , for garnish
Instructions
- Start cooking rice. While rice is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium to large pan. Chop onions and garlic. Add ground turkey to medium high heat oiled skillet or pan. Brown turkey for about 4 minutes. Add in onions and garlic and sauté for another 4 minutes. Preheat oven to 375º.
- Once turkey is browned and onions and garlic have started to sweat, add in rice, seasonings, tomatoes. Let everything simmer together well, about 6 minutes. Once everything is mixed well and cooked through, add in cheese. Turn the heat off and mix the cheese in well.
- Slice bell peppers vertically. Clean out seeds, white flesh and stems. Spray a large 9×13 in baking dish with nonstick spray. Lay the peppers down in the dish with the open side facing up. Stuff them full with the cheesy, turkey mixture. Make sure you press the mixture in firmly so they are bursting with filling.
- Sprinkle a little more cheese on the top of each pepper. Cover with tin foil and bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until the peppers are sweating, softened and cheese is melty and bubbling. Enjoy right away or keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days for meal prep. Reheat in the microwave covered.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yum!
Can I freeze these? Thanks!
Yes! They are freezer friendly for up to two months. Enjoy.
Love these. Easy and healthy.
What temperature do you bake on?
375º degrees for this one!