As I walked into Whole Foods earlier this week, the Fall-colored bell peppers were staring right at me and I immediately knew what I would be preparing and baking for easy dinners/lunches: healthy turkey-quinoa-veggie stuffed bell peppers!
Eating healthy is always a priority of mine, but over the last 2 weeks, I haven’t had many cravings and I’ve been lacking energy. My immune system has not been normal to say the least – annoying allergies, a painful sinus infection and then, BOOM, a stomach bug decided to grace me with it’s horrible presence. The worst. It can only go up from here!
While I didn’t actually follow a recipe, I did reference Chef Savvy’s yummy recipe as a guide and made some changes based on items I have in my own kitchen. What I loved most about her recipe were the half-cut bell peppers AND the Mexican seasonings she used (aka. one of my favorite cuisines, thanks to my childhood in San Diego). Why half-cut bell peppers win? 1) Easier to prep, clean and stuff. 2) Better portion size. 3) Better to transport leftovers to work. 4) Bakes much quicker. Why Mexican anything wins? No comment required here.
Note, I have leftover filling – but it’s great to put some over extra quinoa as well for a protein-filled snack!
Ingredients:
- 1-1/4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped *use more or less to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced *use more or less to taste
- 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock *use more if it looks/tastes dry
- 1/2 cup shredded kale *replaced corn with kale
- 1/4 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed *replaced black beans with kidney beans
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin *use more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder *use more or less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika *use more or less to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper *use more or less to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon salt *use more or less to taste
- 1 cup cooked quinoa with 2 cups water *there will be extra you can use in other meals
- 4 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded *you could buy a 5th as well just in case
- Grated Parmesan (or whatever cheese you prefer)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 415 degrees (depending on your stove, you might want to slightly increase throughout baking).
- If you don’t purchase pre-cooked quinoa (which I do not), you will want to boil your water and simmer your quinoa for around 20 minutes. It’s super easy to prepare!
- Meanwhile, add oil to a large skillet.
- Add in ground turkey and saute until fully cooked, 5-6 minutes.
- Add in onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Toss in garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, beans, shredded/minced kale, cumin, chili powder, paprika, pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Take off the heat and stir in cooked quinoa (put in as much as you prefer; I only used around a 1/2-1/3 cup cooked quinoa.
- Stuff peppers with the filling and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the filling is hot.
- Take out peppers and sprinkle on cheese of your preference. Place back in oven for 1-2 minutes so cheese melts.
- Serve immediately. Save some for leftovers.
My big recommendation is always ensure you season to taste and use your best judgement with flavor. I personally love to keep my flavor simple and then, leave room to drizzle on some Sriracha for that extra kick.
Hope you enjoy! Xx LPH