Hello again, friends! I’m so grateful to Angela for having me here on Mrs. K-Fit for a second time. When she asked if I had a recipe I’d like to contribute, I knew immediately that I needed to share my Quinoa + Turkey Stuffed Peppers. This meal is always a big hit at our house. It’s one of my husband Matt’s favorites, and I always feel really good about cooking and eating it because it’s healthy, well-rounded, and not too difficult to make.

This version of the recipe is adapted from my favorite cookbook The Skinnytaste Cookbook. The original recipe doesn’t use turkey, but I like to add a leaner protein to meals whenever I can. One thing you’ll notice is absent below is the use of garlic and onion. I’ve been dealing with digestive issues for about five years now, and one of the biggest fixes for me has been removing those foods from my diet entirely (I would totally recommend it for anyone dealing with chronic stomach pain and bloating. Give it a try!). That being said, you can feel free to add 2 cloves of chopped garlic at step #2 of the filling instructions, if you’d like : )

Ingredients:
For the filling…
1/2 cup white quinoa
1 pound ground turkey
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

For the peppers…
2 large bell peppers (red or yellow)
4 tbsp. canned crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

Directions:

For the filling…

Make your quinoa, using vegetable broth instead of water to infuse extra flavor. Put the quinoa in a medium saucepan, add the vegetable broth, and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. (HINT: A rice cooker is another great — and easy — way to make quinoa! Simply throw the grains and the broth into the pot, turn it on, and you’re ready to go!)

 

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and ground turkey. Stir until the meat is fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes to develop the flavors.

Remove the pan from the heat and put turkey and tomato mixture into a large bowl. Add cooked quinoa, Romano, spinach, basil, and mozzarella.

For the peppers…

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove the core, seeds, and stem. Place the peppers cut side up in a baking dish.
3. Fill each pepper with the filling. You can stuff them to your taste — I like mine a little overfilled!

 

4. Top each pepper with a little extra crushed tomato, Romano, and mozzarella.
5. Pour remaining broth into the bottom of the dish.

6. Cover tightly with foil and bake until the peppers are soft, about 50 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

HINT: We usually end up with extra filling, which is one of my favorite parts of this recipe! I’ll mix a scoop of it with fresh spinach, which makes for a great lunch the next day. The stuffed peppers themselves make great leftovers, too… and they keep really well in the freezer for longer periods of time. Sometimes I’ll double the ingredients so I can make sure I have extra to put away. Don’t you just love getting multiple meals out of a single recipe?

Thanks so much for reading! I’d love to see you over on my blog Finding Plan A and on my Instagram! xo

 

by Alli Hoff Kosik