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These delish stuffed peppers with ground turkey will fill you up without weighing you down! Full of veggies and cheesy goodness, for balance.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These stuffed peppers with ground turkey are everything you want stuffed peppers to be: meaty, saucy, and wonderfully cheesy. They’re also incredibly easy to make, which is a huge bonus—especially on a weeknight.
We’ve replaced the usual beef and sausage for ground turkey to create a healthier, leaner option—but still super flavorful! Mushrooms have also been added to the mix for some extra oomph.
These are a fantastic dinner option that the entire family will enjoy!
What to Serve With Stuffed Peppers
- A helping of crunchy Greek cucumber and tomato salad is a great option for cutting through the richness of the sauce and the cheese.
- For a veggie side, you can go with air fryer green beans, oven-roasted broccoli, or these fabulous hot honey carrots!
- A simple side salad or a salad with homeade Caesar dressing will always be a hit.
Ingredients
Exact measurements in the recipe card below.
- Bell peppers. I like using different colored bell peppers for wow factor (it’s really damn pretty). It’s up to you which colors you want to use—just remember that green are a little bitter, whereas red, orange, and yellow are sweeter.
- Olive oil.
- Onion. I use yellow for a bit of sweetness, but you could use a white or red onion as well.
- Garlic. Finely minced or grated to a paste with a microplane.
- Sea salt and cracked pepper.
- Diced tomatoes. I use fresh, but you could also use canned (14.5 oz).
- Mushrooms. I like adding veggies to the meat mixture for extra nutrients, and mushrooms are great because they’re meaty and soak up flavor. You could also use shredded carrots or zucchini.
- Tomato sauce. You can use your favorite store-bought sauce or go the homemade route!
- Rice. I use long grain white rice. Arborio or basmati rice would also work out great.
- Cheese. I like using a pre-shredded Italian blend for extra flavor. Mozzarella will work, too. I also really like finishing the peppers off with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan—optional, but so yummy!
- Parsley. For garnish!
How to Make Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey
Preheat the oven to 425º F with the rack in the middle position. Pop your peppers in and let them roast for about 20 minutes, or until they’re slightly tender; remove and set them aside.
Cook the rice separately as per the instructions on the package, but if possible, cook it in chicken or vegetable broth instead of water. You’ll get amazing flavor this way.
Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet. Sauté the onions and mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the finely diced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring.
Add the ground turkey and break it down into crumbles with a spatula or spoon as it cooks. Simmer until the meat is about halfway cooked; season with salt and pepper.
Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Once simmering, stir in the cooked rice, followed by the cheese. Remove from the heat.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the hollowed out peppers packing them as much as you can. Press down in the mixture to secure it, then sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top.
Pop the peppers in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. If you want some of that nice golden crisp browning on your cheese, turn the broiler on for a minute or two before removing the peppers. (Just be sure to keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.)
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Recipe Alternatives
- You could use Minute Rice if you want less steps and one less pot to wash. In this case, add the Minute Rice to the pan when you add the tomatoes and sauce. It will cook quickly and will be tender by serving time.
- If you like things extra saucy, you could reserve some tomato sauce and heat it up in a small pot, then spoon it over the peppers prior to sprinkling on the grated cheese and baking them.
- Like it spicy? Add some red chili flakes to the mix along with the salt and pepper.
- You could omit the rice and serve these stuffed peppers over noodles, like spaghetti, or even this creamy mashed potato recipe.
If you like these, check out my Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers and Seafood Stuffed Peppers!
Storage, Freezing, & Reheating
- Stuffed pepper leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- To freeze, pack them in a freezer friendly container or gallon-sized zip-top bags and store for up to 3 months. Transfer them to the fridge to thaw overnight.
- To reheat, you can give them a quick trip in the microwave in 25-second increments or reheat them in the oven at 350º F in a baking dish.
More Ground Turkey Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Bolognese Sauce With Turkey
- Healthy Ground Turkey Chili
- Ginger Garlic Meatballs With Hot Honey Glaze
- Lasagna With Ground Turkey Meat Sauce
- Ground Turkey Meatballs With Sauce
- Ground Turkey Stir Fry With Cabbage
Have You Made This Recipe?
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Easy Stuffed Peppers With Ground Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey, 93/7 lean-to-fat is good blend for this.
- 4 large bell peppers, halved and gutted
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
- 1 cup diced tomatoes, fresh
- 1 cup diced mushrooms
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup rice, uncooked
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- With a rack positioned in the middle, preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Place the gutted peppers onto a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
- Cook the rice as per the package instructions, but instead of cooking the rice in water, cook it in chicken or vegetable broth if you can, for bigger flavor.
- While the rice cooks, heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Sauté the onions and mushrooms for about 3-4 minutes, then stir in the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
- Add the ground turkey to the skillet and cook, breaking it down into crumbles with a spatula or spoon, until the meat is about halfway cooked, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Once it's simmering, stir in the cooked rice and 1/2 cup of the shredded mozzarella; remove from the heat.
- Spoon the mixture into the hollowed out peppers on the baking sheet, packing them as much as you can. Press down with a spoon to make sure everything is packed in tight. Sprinkle the remainder 1 cup of the cheese on top, followed by the Parmesan cheese, about 1/2 TBSP per pepper. (More if you prefer.)
- Bake the peppers in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. For a nice golden crisp on your cheese, turn the broiler on for a minute or two before removing the peppers. (Keep a close eye on them.)
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.
I made these for meal prep and boy were they a hit!! Question, are they gluten free?
Hi! I’m so glad they were a hit. The ingredients here should be gluten-free but always check labels (pasta sauce, cheese) to be sure.
They’re very pretty and enticing!
Thank you!
These stuffed peppers were incredibly flavorful and soo easy to make! We will bemakingthrm again very soon!
I’m so glad!
Oh, those stuffed peppers with ground turkey are absolutely scrumptious! I love that they’re packed with veggies and cheesy goodness. I got the perfect balance of flavor and nutrition!
Happy you enjoyed the, Alison!
Love love love these stuffed peppers. My kid even enjoyed them. We can’t wait to make them again
Awesome! I can’t wait until my 4 year old realizes there’s more to life than mac and cheese and eats these ;)
Such a yummy mixture for these stuffed peppers!
Thanks!
Oh. My. Goodness. These Stuffed Peppers with ground turkey completely SLAYED!! Thank you for the incredible flavor these babies packed. I had to make a double batch they were so good!
Awesome to hear, Ned!