Enjoy these Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers for an easy dinner or meal prep option. This hearty recipe includes quinoa and requires only 15 minutes of prep work.
Stuffed peppers are the perfect family dinner. These turkey stuffed bell peppers are the best! They come together easily and are a healthy dinner option anytime.
The turkey quinoa filling is adapted from our popular turkey taco quinoa skillet recipe to create a well-rounded meal that the entire family will love.
If you love stuffed peppers, try our Stuffed Pepper Soup too!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Stuffed peppers are a delicious family-friendly dinner.
- They are packed with protein and flavor.
- These turkey stuffed peppers taste great as leftovers.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Ingredients You Need
In addition to the fresh bell peppers, you will need a few additional ingredients for the filling.
- Ground Turkey – You can substitute with ground chicken or ground beef. Or substitute the turkey with more veggies like spinach and mushrooms. Black beans would also taste great.
- Diced Tomatoes – Any type of diced tomatoes work good, but I like to use diced tomatoes in puree. The puree helps to thicken the filling. You can also add one or two tablespoons of tomato puree to regular diced tomatoes.
- Quinoa – Use any type of cooked quinoa for this recipe. Prep the quinoa in advance, or use store-bought cooked quinoa. You can substitute the quinoa for cooked rice or another grain like cooked farro.
- Bell Peppers – Use large or extra large bell peppers. Three bell peppers yield 6 stuffed peppers. However, if you use smaller peppers, you may be able to make more than 6 peppers. The stuffed peppers are fairly large, so this recipe serves about 4 people (1.5 peppers per person.)
- Cheese – A mix of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese is best, however you can substitute with your preferred type of cheese.
- Spices – Use a mixture of chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. You can also garnish with fresh cilantro for more flavor.
- Onion and Garlic – Both of these add flavor.
- Lime – A bit of acidity and citrus flavor compliments the other ingredients. You can omit, if desired.
How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
This recipe comes together relatively easily in a few steps.
- Prepare the stuffed pepper filling – Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the diced onion and cook until softened. Then, add the ground turkey and garlic. Cook until the meat turns brown, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Add spices and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add diced tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Stir in the quinoa and lime juice.
- Stuff the peppers – Place the bell peppers in a large rectangular baking dish (13×9). Divide the stuffed pepper filling among the peppers.
- Bake the peppers – Cover the filled peppers with aluminium foil and bake in a preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil and sprinkle the peppers with the shredded cheese. Return the peppers to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
I do not par-bake my peppers (pre cook them). I think they are perfectly tender without pre-cooking the peppers. Raw peppers are stuffed and then baked. However, if you like your peppers to be softer, you may want to par-boil or pre-cook them before stuffing them.
Garnish the stuffed bell peppers with freshly chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Tips
- Prep the turkey stuffed peppers in advance. Prepare them and cover with foil, then refrigerate until you are ready to bake. You can refrigerate the prepped peppers for up to 2 days. When you are ready to eat them, bake and enjoy!
- Enjoy the peppers for leftovers or as meal prep. These turkey stuffed peppers taste great as leftovers. Simply prepare the entire recipe, refrigerate and then reheat in the microwave or oven just prior to serving.
- Switch up the veggies. This recipe calls for diced tomatoes, but you can add other vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, corn or zucchini.
- Low carb option – Substitute the quinoa or rice for cauliflower rice for an even lower carb option, if desired.
STORAGE: Store leftover stuffed peppers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.
Other Recipes Using Ground Turkey
Did you make this Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers recipe? Leave a recipe rating and review below.
Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 28 ounces diced Tomatoes, (diced tomatoes in puree is even better)
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, or cooked rice
- juice of one lime
- 3 extra large bell peppers, halved and seeded
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- cilantro , for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the ground turkey and minced garlic and cook until the meat is almost cooked through, breaking it up in crumbles with a spoon as it cooks.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture.
- Fill the peppers with the mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and carefully sprinkle cheese over the top. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in February 2019. It was updated with new recipe tips and process photos in 2023.
Can’t find tomatoes in purée. Do I drain the diced tomatoes and add tomato purée separately or should I not drain the tomatoes?
I’ve done it both ways. If you drain the tomatoes, the filling with be slightly thicker. If you’re concerned about too much liquid, you can drain the tomatoes and reserve the liquid, then dump in the tomatoes. After you stir everything together, you can add more liquid if the filling is still too thick. Enjoy!
Not a bad recipe with some tweaks! I think some more flavor would be good- perhaps a few tablespoons of taco seasoning added. I did only 14 oz of tomatoes and thought it was a pretty moist filling. Next time I might par bake the bell peppers first a bit so they crisp up more.
Also would probably be helpful to include cooking the quinoa in the recipe instructions and adding that to the time to cook.