Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers



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ground turkey stuffed peppers in casserole dish

These Ground Turkey Stuffed Bells Peppers are easy to make and filled with a hearty mixture of lean ground turkey, brown rice, and cheese! These stuffed bell peppers may be made with simple ingredients but they pack in a ton of really delicious flavor. With lots of 5-star reviews they’ve quickly become a reader favorite recipe that I know you’ll love!

Weeknight Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers: My Favorite Way to Eat Bell Peppers!

When it comes to weeknight dinner comfort food, stuffed peppers are definitely on my list. They are hearty, packed with protein, there’s plenty of veggie action, and they reheat well which means the leftovers are great for lunch the next day. I really love creating ground turkey recipes and this stuffed pepper recipe is truly one of my favorites.

These ground turkey stuffed peppers have become one of my personal weeknight dinner favorites and a reader favorite recipe as well! The combination of lean ground turkey, fresh herbs, and melty cheese works so well!

If you have never tried making stuffed peppers before then this recipe is a really good place to start! The peppers are filled with lean ground turkey, hearty brown rice, veggies, and then topped with plenty of mozzarella cheese for good measure. They’ve got all your bases covered.

It’s a simple combination of ingredients but they all work together to give a really flavorful end result. If you’re always looking for a new way to enjoy ground turkey then I’m really excited for you to add this recipe to your list!

Key Ingredients

stuffed peppers ingredients
This stuffed pepper recipe use a simple combination of ingredients which makes it accessible and easy to make but don’t worry, it stills packs in so much flavor in every single bite.
  • Bell Peppers: I like to use a wide variety of colors for this recipe simply because it looks so pretty but any color bell pepper will work. Choose peppers that are on the larger side so that there is plenty of room for all of the yummy filling.
  • Ground Turkey: either ground dark or white mean turkey will work well in this recipe.
  • Onion and Garlic: to help build a delicious flavor base.
  • Marinara Sauce: you’ll need one large jar of your favorite marinara sauce for this recipe.
  • Spinach: fresh spinach gets wilted into the stuffed pepper filling.
  • Brown Rice: to make these peppers nice and hearty we’re using cooked brown rice in the filling.
  • Cheese: we’re using a combination of parmesan and mozzarella for the ultimate flavor and the cheesy gooeyness on top.
  • Fresh Herbs and Spices: plenty of fresh basil and parsley helps to give the peppers the best flavor.

Ingredient Subs Just In Case You Need Them

  • Ground turkey – you can easily substitute ground turkey for ground chicken or ground beef if you prefer. If you want to make a vegetarian version of these stuffed peppers you could use your favorite meat crumbles!
  • Brown rice – easily swap the brown rice for white rice or quinoa if you like.
  • Cheese – leave it out altogether or use your favorite dairy free version instead!
  • Spinach – I love using spinach in these peppers but feel free to swap it for thinly sliced kale if you prefer.

How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Once the filling is done it’s time to stuff the pepper halves and bake them until the peppers are nice and tender.

ground turkey stuffed peppers without cheese
Once each peppers is stuffed, you’ll bake them until the actual pepper is nice and tender. I like to bake mine uncovered.

Then, I like to top the peppers with shredded mozzarella and return them to the oven to bake another few minutes until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Sprinkle a few fresh herbs on top for the perfect finish.

ground turkey stuffed peppers in casserole dish
Melty cheese and fresh herbs is the perfect finish to these stuffed peppers.

More Really Delicious Bell Pepper Recipes to Try

I hope you give these Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers a try! They are so hearty and filling

If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.

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ground turkey stuffed peppers on plate

Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 16 reviews
  • Author: Ashlea Carver
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

These Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers are easy to make and filled with a hearty mixture of lean ground turkey, brown rice, and cheese!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 34 large bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • salt, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1 cup spinach, chopped
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
  • extra basil and fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat a large deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and then ground turkey. Brown the turkey, breaking it up as it cooks.
  3. Once the turkey is brown, add the diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 more minutes or until the onion is tender.
  4. Add the marinara sauce and chopped spinach. Let the sauce simmer for 2-3 more minutes until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown rice, chopped basil, and parmesan cheese.
  5. Stuff the pepper halves with the filling and place them in a 9×13 casserole dish.
  6. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and top the peppers with the mozzarella cheese. Return them to the oven and bake another 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Garnish with extra fresh chopped basil and parsley.

Notes

Ashlea’s Tips & Tricks

Use leftover brown rice – whenever you make brown rice make extra and freeze it! When it’s time to make these peppers remove the extra brown rice from the freezer to use in this dish!

Add extra veggies – finely chopped zucchini, carrot, or celery would all be delicious in this recipe. Feel free to get creative!

Do some prep in advance – you can easily assemble these peppers ahead of time and then place in the fridge until you are ready to bake them!

How to Freeze: Prepare the peppers according to the recipe instructions and then let them come to a complete cool. Transfer the peppers to a freezer safe storage container. Place the lid on the storage container and then freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. 

How to Reheat

Oven: reheat at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, covered, until warmed through. If the peppers are frozen reheat them for 45-50 minutes.

Microwave: you can microwave the peppers on high for 2-3 minutes until completely warmed through.

Air Fryer: place the peppers in your air fryer basket and reheat for 5 minutes at 350 degrees until completely warmed through.

Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA

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29 Comments

  1. Bonnie Adie says:

    I have now made your Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers twice within a month. It is fabulous! I didn’t change a thing and can’t think of anything that could make it any better. Thank you for this….a big favourite.

  2. I replaced the basil and Italian seasoning with 1 Tablespoon of curry powder, and the parmesan with provolone. It came out AMAZING!! Just in case anyone wants to play with a different flavor, but this recipe is excellent!

  3. Great flavors! My only feedback is baking them uncovered the peppers were not soft at all and the tops of the filling was getting dried out. I added some extra sauce diluted with a little water over the peppers and to the bottom of the dish and baked covered for another 20 mins at 350 and then the peppers were nice and soft with good flavor.

  4. Do you think I could use quinoa instead of brown rice?

    1. Ashlea Carver says:

      yes! that would work!

  5. Allison McLean says:

    Great week night meal that is kid friendly. I put in way more than a cup of spinach I use an entire 11 oz container. It cooks down to nothing. I also put in 1.5 lbs of ground turkey. This was I have leftover filling to use in work lunch salads during the week. We love this meal combined with a salad on the side.