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 😉
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 sauté 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.
