Sadly,
there isn’t a particularly noteworthy back-story for posting this recipe. I
simply wanted to try my hand at stuffed peppers. I’ve had lots of stuffed
vegetables before – stuffed zucchini in Italy that was to die for, stuffed baby
eggplants that I still need to learn from Gayatri how to make, stuffed tomatoes,
etc. Peppers seemed like a good place to start – mix a bunch of stuff together,
put inside peppers, and bake. Easy, right? Right! :-)
While the peppers are baking, cook the ground turkey in a pan or skillet over med-hi heat. Add in the spinach, chopped onions and spices. The brown rice can also be cooked at the same time according to the boil-in-a-bag directions (bring water to a boil in a pot, add the rice – still in the bag – and let boil for 10 minutes). When the rice is done, drain the water. In a large bowl, mix the turkey and rice, and stir in the ricotta cheese. Add pimientos and Feta cheese if desired.
After the un-stuffed peppers have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool before stuffing. Stuff each pepper – be sure to get filling into every nook and cranny! You will more than likely have a bunch of extra filling that can be used to make delicious wraps, sandwiches and pasta.
Top the stuffed peppers with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake the stuffed peppers for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving…then enjoy!
~Karla
Ingredients
6-8 bell peppers (red, yellow, and orange all taste better
than green, in my opinion)
~2 lbs ground turkey
~ ½ - ¾ cup chopped spinach (fresh or frozen)
~2 cups cooked brown rice (I used 2 bags of the 10-minute
boil-in-a-bag kind)
~ ½ cup chopped onion (I usually use dried)
Black pepper to taste
Ground red pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
~ ¾ - 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
~2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Small jar pimientos (optional)
Low-fat or fat-free Feta cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice the peppers in half and clean out the
insides. Place them cut-side-up on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
While the peppers are baking, cook the ground turkey in a pan or skillet over med-hi heat. Add in the spinach, chopped onions and spices. The brown rice can also be cooked at the same time according to the boil-in-a-bag directions (bring water to a boil in a pot, add the rice – still in the bag – and let boil for 10 minutes). When the rice is done, drain the water. In a large bowl, mix the turkey and rice, and stir in the ricotta cheese. Add pimientos and Feta cheese if desired.
After the un-stuffed peppers have baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool before stuffing. Stuff each pepper – be sure to get filling into every nook and cranny! You will more than likely have a bunch of extra filling that can be used to make delicious wraps, sandwiches and pasta.
Top the stuffed peppers with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake the stuffed peppers for another 15-20 minutes. Let cool before serving…then enjoy!
~Karla
These look so good and I want to make them! So cheesy and gooey yum. The last time I made these I used italian sausage and it was such an odd texture so I never made them again. But this looks so much better than what I made!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It did take two tries to get the filling consistency (not too dry) and pepper softness right. And you can definitely make a vegetarian version by substituting other things for meat - other vegetables, mushrooms, wheat protein, etc.
ReplyDelete~Karla