Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Posted Jan 11, 2018, Updated Jun 16, 2024
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Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers are a flavorful & nutritious dinner recipe! Ready in 40 minutes, these Italian stuffed peppers are made with ground turkey and brown rice.
Ground turkey stuffed peppers are a delicious dinner that’s absolutely bursting with flavor. They’re a delicious meal when you’re craving Italian food but want something on the lighter side!
In this recipe, bell peppers are stuffed with an Italian flavored brown rice filling, topped with mozzarella cheese and baked to perfection!
The leftovers are great meal-prep lunches for the week that are gluten-free.
Italian Stuffed Peppers: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground turkey. Ground beef or chicken can be substituted for the turkey. (Also try these traditional stuffed peppers).
- Olive Oil. Avocado oil is a good substitute.
- Diced tomatoes. you can choose a variety with flavors like Italian diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes.
- Marinara sauce. Choose your favorite – mine is tomato basil. Or, make this homemade marinara sauce recipe.
- Mozzarella cheese. You can substitute any cheese for mozzarella, I like adding parmesan cheese too.
- Brown rice. this recipe calls for 2 cups cooked brown rice, which is 1 cup uncooked. You can use any rice variety you’d like, even quinoa is delicious in this recipe.
How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Let’s walk through how to make these ground turkey stuffed peppers, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by cooking the brown rice. I usually do this a day in advance (or in the morning) and store the rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator so it’s ready to go at dinnertime.
Next, the peppers are precooked.
Roast the peppers for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven before filling and baking again.
You can also microwave or parboil the peppers to precook them. Whatever you choose, just be sure that they are slightly soft, but still firm enough to hold the filling.
Next, make the ground turkey filling. begin by browning the turkey in olive oil with the onion and garlic in a sauté pan until the turkey is brown and no longer pink.
For the best flavor and texture, be sure the turkey is completely browned before adding the liquid ingredients. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to aid in the browning process!
Then, add the rest of the ingredients (except for rice) and seasonings and bring to a boil.
Once boiling reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and stir in the rice.
Next, fill each partially-cooked pepper with filling then top with cheese.
Since the filling is already cooked, bake until the cheese is melted and the peppers are soft.
Serve
Serve warm with your favorite sides. I like serving these with crusty bread like this no knead bread or homemade french bread.
We also love serving ground turkey stuffed peppers with a fresh salad like burrata salad or spinach salad!
Store/Freeze
Store leftover Italian stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave or oven.
Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers Recipe FAQs
Yes, I suggest cooking the filling before adding it to the peppers so the peppers don’t become soggy.
Slightly precook them and make sure the filling is cooked so you are just warming the peppers to melt the cheese on top. Also make sure the filling is thick.
If you choose to boil the peppers to pre-cook them instead of roasting them, it could cause watery stuffed peppers.
About 10 to 15 minutes.
If your rice is hard it means it isn’t fully cooked. Make sure to cook the brown rice according to the package instructions until it’s light and fluffy before using it in this recipe.
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Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup onion (finely diced)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups brown rice (cooked)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions (this takes about 45 minutes). Or, use leftover brown rice (recommended).
Pre-Bake the Peppers
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Grease a baking dish and set aside.
- Remove top, seeds and core from bell peppers.
- Rinse, pat dry and cut in half lengthwise.
- Place halves open side up on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper.
- Bake 10-15 minutes in preheated oven until they just begin to become soft. Remove from oven and set aside.
Make the Ground Turkey Filling
- In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground turkey, olive oil, onion and minced garlic for 5-10 minutes, or until the turkey is lightly browned and cooked through.
- Add the seasoning mixture, tomatoes, marinara sauce and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn heat to simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and add cooked brown rice and stir until combined.
- Taste filling and adjust salt/pepper/seasonings to your liking.
Assemble & Bake
- Add about ½ cup of filling to each partially-cooked bell pepper half (or as much as can fit without overflowing).
- Top each filled bell pepper with a light sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake peppers in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted, rotating baking pan once during cooking.
- Remove from oven, cool slightly and serve warm.
Video
Notes
- Ground turkey. Ground beef or chicken can be substituted for the turkey. (Also try these traditional stuffed peppers).
- Olive Oil. Avocado oil is a good substitute.
- Diced tomatoes. you can choose a variety with flavors like Italian diced tomatoes or fire roasted diced tomatoes.
- Marinara sauce. Choose your favorite – mine is tomato basil. Or, make this homemade marinara sauce recipe.
- Mozzarella cheese. You can substitute any cheese for mozzarella, I like adding parmesan cheese too.
- Brown rice. this recipe calls for 2 cups cooked brown rice, which is 1 cup uncooked. You can use any rice variety you’d like, even quinoa is delicious in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Always a pleasure to read your thorough and well-reasoned articles.
The meal was delicious and healthy. All the instructions were helpful and the dish looked exactly like the picture in the recipe, which is a never for me. My son wasn’t too pleased when he saw the meal arrive at the table, but after trying it, asked for seconds!
I will definitely serve it again. Thank you Laura!
This recipe was so easy to make! I would add more salt and garlic next time but that’s just a personal preference. The recipe has good flavor as is, I just want it a little more savory. I’ve been trying to think of what side would pair well with it besides fresh fruit. I’m thinking roasted broccoli for next time!
Our family enjoyed this dish! I appreciated how easy it was to make. Will definitely be serving them again.