When I think about some of the meals that I remember most about growing up, stuffed peppers definitely come to mind. My mom used to (and still does) make the best stuffed peppers. Not to mention, I love anything stuffed…there is just something about stuffing ingredients into a food shell that I adore. I know I may be in my own category with this one, but oh well!!
So the stuffed peppers that I grew up with were made with ground beef, white rice, breadcrumbs, etc. Courtney and I created our own GTK “lightened up” version of stuffed peppers. We omitted the beef, white rice and breadcrumbs and instead substituted it with lean ground turkey and quinoa. This healthier version still caries the bold flavors that we love about stuffed peppers but you won’t need a nap afterwards!!
- 1 package lean ground organic turkey (approx 1.5 lbs)
- 3 bell peppers (we used one of each - yellow, red, orange)
- ½ C cooked quinoa
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped (approx ½ C)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fage 0% greek yogurt
- 1 egg, beaten
- ⅓ C flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ⅓ C fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ C + more for topping - grated romano cheese or parmesan
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- approx 1 C marinara sauce (homemade or storebought - we prefer White Linen by Victoria)
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut peppers in half, remove seeds and inner white membranes. Rinse and steam in the microwave for 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Set aside to cool.
- Heat a medium skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add celery and shallots and sautee for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl add turkey, cooked quinoa, Fage, egg (beaten), parsley, basil, cheese and S&P. Mix with hands or a spatula to incorporate, do not overmix. Place the peppers in a large casserole dish. Add 1 Tbsp of marinara sauce to the bottom of each pepper. Fill peppers with turkey/quinoa mixture. Line top of stuffed peppers with another Tbsp of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with romano cheese. You will have leftover turkey. Go ahead and roll them into turkey meatballs for the kids.
- Cook the stuffed peppers in the oven for approx 30 minutes. If you are baking the turkey meatballs as well, top the meatballs with a spoonful of marinara sauce and romano cheese, remove from oven after approx 18 minutes. Serve with additonal marinara sauce on the side and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and grated romano if desired.