Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
You guys, summer is coming.
You know, not to get all (opposite of?) Game of Thrones on you, but it’s coming faster than I can even handle. (Um speaking of…last night’s episode did not go the way I thought it would!) It’s June, though?! Where has the year gone? My real concern would be the Caribbean cruise my mother just booked for my family. Sounds amazing, I’m super excited, but…I’ll have to be seen in a bikini for an entire week straight. Cue the healthy recipes around here, haha! Don’t worry though, we’re not skimping on flavor just because it’s a bit better for you š
Like these stuffed peppers. They are so super delicious, and full of good for you ingredients. Plus, despite the fact that they are really low-cal (less than 200 calories per pepper half…seriously), they are quite filling!
So, what’s in these? Well, obviously they have ground turkey and quinoa, but there is also yellow onion, garlic, spinach, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. They’re kinda Italian-inspired, so I finished them off with fresh basil, and melted some mozzarella cheese over Mikey’s servings. But, they’re pretty adaptable, and I think they’d be good with almost any veggie added to the filling. In fact, I probably would have thrown in some crimini mushrooms, too, had the bunch of them in my fridge not been a month old (yikes). The quinoa could be substituted with brown rice or couscous. You could even swap the turkey out for tofu, chicken, beef, or bison.
The bell peppers get all tender and juicy in the oven, and it’s a perfect pairing with the meat and grain filling. Like I said, I topped Mikey with some mozzarella cheese before popping them in the oven, but I served my own with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some hot sauce, because I like literally everything spicy. Actually, if you follow my Instagram, then you probably saw a glimpse of one of my newest creations that I’m still not sure is a good idea to share with the world.
In any event, I hope you guys will love these as much as Mikey and I do. The recipe also make 8 pepper halves worth, so you can be set for leftover lunch or dinner throughout the week. Oh, and they reheat really well in the oven at 300 for 20 minutes.
PrintTurkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Yield: 8 stuffed pepper halves
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (I used red)
- 1 cup water + pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 20 oz. extra lean ground turkey
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 oz. baby spinach
- 4 bell pepper, halved with seeds and membranes removed
- fresh basil, chopped, torn, or sliced
- shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
- In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for 2-3 more minutes to evaporate any remaining water.
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and garlic and sautƩ for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add in the turkey and Italian seasoning, and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce and spinach.
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and turkey mixture. Spoon into the 8 pepper halves. If you'd like, top the pepper with some mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the peppers are tender. Sprinkle with the fresh basil prior to serving.
I bet these would be awesome on the grill!
What a brilliant idea, Barbi! It never even crossed my mind since I don't own a grill, but you're totally right, they would be phenomenal grilled!
Not a huge deal but the recipe does not tell you where to incorporate the Italian seasoning.
Thanks for letting me know, Deb! I've updated the recipe š
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[…] found this great recipe via: Spache the Spatula for Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. I have to say, this was a great recipe and it secured a spot in my coveted “Tried and […]
Loved this recipe…as did my family!
I'm so glad to hear that, Kathleen!!
About to put these beauties in the oven. Uncovered? No liquid in the baking dish? Just checking.
Yep! I just put them in a baking dish just as they are and let 'em cook š The peppers will get nice and juicy in the oven
[…] Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers: these easy, low-fat/high-protein peppers are less than 200 calories each!ā¦RECIPE […]
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We just made these and they are delicious! We skipped the cheese to make them dairy-free and they turned out great. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you liked them, Abi! I tend to skip the cheese, too (I prefer Greek yogurt + sriracha), but my boyfriend insists on the cheese, haha.
Made this yesterday and had it again for leftovers today with my boyfriend. We loved it! So hardy, healthy and filling. Thank you for the simple recipe.
I so glad you guys liked it, Danielle!
So healthy and delicious! I just added some extra tomato sauce and used kale in place of spinach. And goat cheese instead of mozzarella since thats what i had on hand. The basil is a nice addition. Don’t forget to salt and pepper the turkey meat mixture.
Goat cheese sounds like it would be fantastic! It has so much flavor and you don’t have to use too much š
This looks delicious! I really want to make it but the printer friendly version link doesn’t work for some reason š
Hi Stephanie, thank you so much!
I’ve been struggling to find a fix for that problem, but I can’t seem to figure out what’s causing it.
A super simple fix you van do right now is to just delete the extra backslash from all of the printer-friendly posts.
All of the printer posts links have an extra backslash after the recipe name, and before print. Here’s the correct link!
http://www.spachethespatula.com/turkey-and-quinoa-stuffed-peppers/print/
EDIT: Yikes! just checked that and for some reason that fix no longer works :O I’m scrambling to come up with a fix
these sound delicious but I’m wondering if feta cheese would make a good replacement for the mozarella? has anyone tried that if so please let me know
Feta would be a wonderful replacement, as would goat cheese!
This recipe looks delicious! However, I am not a tomato sauce fan at all. Any recommendations for an alternative (and quantities) that would add moisture and a good flavour to this recipe?
Hm, I just really don’t know what would work as well in this, Crystal. It’s not a ton of tomato flavor at all, it just helps things stay moist.
Youc ould try just using bit of chicken stock, though!
To print recipe, highlight it, then right click and hit “print”. Worked for me.
Thanks, Hazel, but I’ve actually fixed the “PRINT” button and it should work 100% now š YAY
Its working now will try this very soon sounds good & easy
By any chance, do you have the nutritional information for this dish listed somewhere? Just started weight watchers and this seems like it would be a great recipe for me and to share but I don’t know how many points it would be. Thank you
I’m sorry, Cathy, I do not have the exact nutritional breakdown :/ IF made exactly like they are here, they are less than 200 calories per half.
A great recipe nutritional tool that I like to use is this one: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
You could put in all of the ingredients you plan to use and then choose the serving, s and it will tell you š
made these exactly as written and they were too bland. they are easy and when done do look pretty when plated. will play around with the recipe
Season with salt and pepper as you cook them and they shouldn’t taste bland š
[…] Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers – from Spache the Spatula […]
This is my first time with quinoa- did a mix of red/white, used pureed tomato sauce, and mix of 4 Italian Cheeses! They’re in the oven now, and looks like great dinner and leftovers too!! Thanks!!
Sounds delicious! I hope you love them! š
Made it tonight w/your suggestion of greek yogurt & sriracha. YUM!!! I added garlic salt as opposed to regular salt, since it had italian seasoning. Yummy!! š
I’m so glad you liked the recipe, Jen! I love garlic salt! That sounds delicious!
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Though I enjoyed this recipe, my husband wasnt a fan. We ate it with sriacha on top, which helped. I used salt and pepper to season as suggested, but it still came out a little lacking in flavor. I added some red chili powder to the ground turkey mixture to try to boost it as well. I did not have the fresh basil, which I’m sure would have helped!
These were sooooo good. I din’t have mozzarella cheese so I substituted Feta that I did have, Oh my yum.
Yay!! So glad you liked them! I kinda think feta would be even tastier than mozzarella š
Can’t wait to try these! 8 is too many for just me and my hubby, do you think they’d be freezable?
Hey Laura! I haven;t tried freezing them, but I think if you tightly wrapped them prior to freezing, they may be okay. I worry about the peppers, though :/
[…] Adapted from Spache the Spatula […]
All I have is a small can of tomato paste, not sauce. Can I use that instead?
You could certainly try it! I would add some liquid to make it saucier
I made these Turkey & Quinoa Stuffed peppers in the crock pot (too hot for the oven) They turned out awesome and because my peppers were small, I left them whole. I also use 93% FF ground turkey raw. Eight hrs in crock pot…..Made this Weight Watcher Friendly…..made some other changes, BUT it was delicious……thanks for the option of Quinoa vs Rice.
Awesome, Sharon! I’m glad to know they will work in a crockpot!
I love these, and I’ve made them several times! I’m about to do a freezer meal party, and I’m wondering if and how you would make these freezer friendly?
Hi Jayme, I’ve never tried freezing these, but you may just try wrapping the baking dish tightly in plastic wrap and then foil.
[…] TUESDAY/ Stuffed peppers […]
Hi Rachel, I’m going to combine your version with my version. I usually use cream of mushroom soup instead of sauce, but you could do either or or both. I use a combination of Italian style ground turkey and ground beef. I mix the meat with the c. of m.s. as well as mixed shredded cheese. I also use hot sauce for extra flavor. (not as healthy I’m sure, but I hope you like it. š
I love this recipe! I make it all the time. I also never make all at one time, so I freeze just the filling and it works perfectly! A 2 cup Tupperware first 1 pepper’s worth of filling (perfect for a lunch and dinner for me). I also found the recipe a little bland when I first made it, so i usually double the spinach, add garlic and extra red pepper flakes and its delicious!
When do you incorporate the spinach?
Hey Diane! The spinach is incorporated in step 4 š