Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to take a crack out it.

All credit is given to The Daily Meal for this recipe. I added my modifications and suggestions to their recipe below.

Via

Normally my rule is anything that takes over 30 minutes to make is not worth it, but I broke my rule this time. Total time for this recipe is about 2 hours and it makes 4 -5 servings. It is not that hard, just time consuming.

Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures of my cooking adventure. So I will include pictures that look much prettier than what mine actually looked like.

INGREDIENTS

·     10 ½ ounces long grain brown rice
·     3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
·     4 medium garlic cloves, chopped (I used minced garlic and garlic powder bc it is easier)
·     1/2 medium white onion
·     1 pound ground turkey breast
·     Salt and pepper, to taste
·     Taco seasoning (I didn’t use this before, but I think it would add more flavor to the mixture)
·     One 32-ounce carton chicken broth
·     One 14 ½-ounce can diced tomatoes
·     One can of mexi corn (I didn’t add this before, but I think it would have been a nice touch)
·     6 ounces fresh baby spinach – I did not use this
·     1 cup shredded cheese (they recommended Italian, but I had cheddar so that is what I used)
·     5 medium to large bell peppers (I used red)
·     1/2 cup bread crumbs (optional – I did use and would recommend)
 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to the package directions, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add onion (and garlic if you choose), and sauté until translucent. Turn the heat up to medium, and crumble in the turkey meat, separating it as best as you can (it will become easier to separate as it cooks). Sauté the meat until it browns, about 7 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and taco seasoning if you wish.   

Once the meat has browned, add 1 cup of chicken broth, the diced tomatoes and corn. Lower the heat and let simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, about 30 minutes.  

If you choose to use spinach (my hubby requested no spinach!), add the spinach and stir well. As the spinach is wilting, add the cooked rice. Stir often to marry the flavors and textures. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Since I didn’t use spinach, I only let it simmer about 10 minutes with the rice since it was already cooked.

Cut away the tops of the peppers. Discard the ribs and seeds. I only cut a small hole where the stalk was, but I would recommend cutting it in half so that you have more of a bowl shape and you can add in more of the good yummy mixture.

This is how I would cut them next time.

Via

I used a muffin pan so that my peppers would be contained. Add chicken broth to each of the slots until it is a little over half full.

Once the stuffing has finished cooking, fill each pepper completely. Top with a layer of bread crumbs or cheese (this will create a crust when the peppers come out of the oven). Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 35-45 minutes, or when the peppers begin to wrinkle.

I served mine with black beans, chips and queso!

Our overall review of the meal was 5/10 due to lack of taste so that is why I added some ideas for a tastier meal (corn and taco seasoning and the way to stuff the pepper). So definitely feel free to modify!

Happy cooking and creating!

Danielle R.