Rice & Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked Carolina® Brown Rice
- 8 large bell peppers (any color), or 16 mini peppers
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh basil
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can (11 oz) corn niblets, drained
- 1 cup (4 oz) shredded low-fat Mozzarella cheese
Instructions
These meat, rice and cheese stuffed peppers have a twist up their sleeve involving a bit of corn, salsa and some southwest flavors to put a spin on this All-American favorite recipe.
Step 1
Cut the tops off peppers, discarding the seeds and stems. Chop the tops.Step 2
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the turkey for 5 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the pepper tops, onion, garlic, seasoning salt, black pepper, thyme, basil, oregano, ground red pepper, and parsley. Cook for 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Remove to a large bowl.Step 3
In a small bowl, combine the tomato sauce, salsa, and Worcestershire sauce. Reserve 1 1/2 cups; set aside.Step 4
Preheat the oven to 400°F.Step 5
To the bowl with the turkey mixture, add the rice, corn, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and the 1 1/2 cups reserved sauce mixture. Stir to combine. Spoon into the pepper shells. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup sauce mixture. Place in two 13″ x 9″ baking dishes.Step 6
Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. After, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted.
Hearty Filling
The first step to making these stuffed peppers is to make sure you save enough filling to actually stuff the peppers. It may be hard to resist pulling out a bag of tortilla chips and scooping up the sweet and savory mixture of tomato sauce, cooked turkey meat, your favorite salsa and cheese mixture combined with Carolina® Brown Rice.
Now that you have your filling ready, get your peppers in order. This recipe, like most others, calls for bell peppers, but you can always be a bit adventurous and use poblano peppers.
How to Make Stuffed Bell Peppers
Cup the top off of the bell peppers and discard the seeds but make sure to save the chopped pepper tops to add into your filling.
Once your peppers are cleaned out, spoon in the filling and place them on the tray.
There is no problem if the peppers are touching as they will not grow or expand. Don’t forget to add the cheese on top for the last 10 minutes to melt and brown nicely!
If you’re planning a meal to share, finish these stuffed peppers up with a hands-off dessert like a crockpot rice pudding.
