Posted Jan 11, 2018, Updated Jun 16, 2024
Ground turkey stuffed peppers are a delicious dinner that’s absolutely bursting with flavor. They’re a delicious meal when you’re craving Italian food but want something on the lighter side!
In this recipe, bell peppers are stuffed with an Italian flavored brown rice filling, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection!
The leftovers are great meal-prep lunches for the week that are gluten-free.
Italian Stuffed Peppers: Ingredients & Substitutions
Ground turkey. Ground beef or chicken can be substituted for the turkey. (Also try these traditional stuffed peppers). Olive Oil. Avocado oil is a good substitute. Diced tomatoes. you can choose a variety with flavors like Italian diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes. Marinara sauce. Choose your favorite – mine is tomato basil. Or, make this homemade marinara sauce recipe. Mozzarella cheese. You can substitute any cheese for mozzarella, I like adding parmesan cheese too. Brown rice. this recipe calls for 2 cups cooked brown rice, which is 1 cup uncooked. You can use any rice variety you’d like, even quinoa is delicious in this recipe.
How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Let’s walk through how to make these ground turkey stuffed peppers, and don’t forget to watch the video. Begin by cooking the brown rice. I usually do this a day in advance (or in the morning) and store the rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator so it’s ready to go at dinnertime. Next, the peppers are precooked. Roast the peppers for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven before filling and baking again. You can also microwave or parboil the peppers to precook them. Whatever you choose, just be sure that they are slightly soft, but still firm enough to hold the filling. Next, make the ground turkey filling. begin by browning the turkey in olive oil with the onion and garlic in a sauté pan until the turkey is brown and no longer pink. For the best flavor and texture, be sure the turkey is completely browned before adding the liquid ingredients. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to aid in the browning process! Then, add the rest of the ingredients (except for rice) and seasonings and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and stir in the rice. Next, fill each partially-cooked pepper with filling then top with cheese. Since the filling is already cooked, bake until the cheese is melted and the peppers are soft.
Serve
Serve warm with your favorite sides. I like serving these with crusty bread like this no knead bread or homemade french bread. We also love serving ground turkey stuffed peppers with a fresh salad like burrata salad or spinach salad!
Store/Freeze
Store leftover Italian stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave or oven. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
