Easy Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice

These easy stuffed peppers with turkey and rice make a fantastic meal or party food idea, perfect for any occasion.  This is a super simple, minimalist recipe using a handful of ingredients and involving a few easy steps. 

Easy stuffed peppers recipe

These easy stuffed peppers with turkey require very little effort but produce amazing results.  This recipe involves very few steps and hardly any chopping.  Apart from cutting the peppers in half the only other time you will have to use a knife is to chop the parsley.

The other ingredients include cooked rice, a bit of grated cheese and raw ground turkey.

You don’t have to precook the meat for turkey stuffed peppers

This easy turkey stuffed peppers recipe does NOT require cooking the turkey meat before making the filling.  There are several reasons for that.

1. It means shorter preparation time.
2. The juices from the meat stay inside the peppers making them fabulously moist
3. The filling will keep its shape quite well (won’t be crumbly)
4. The filling will taste absolutely delicious with all the ingredients cooking together!

Simply combine the raw turkey with the rest of the filling ingredients and stuff the peppers.

Although the filling keeps its shape well it is still moist and soft, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth consistency. Because the peppers are briefly pre-roasted (to give them enough time to release lots of flavour), they will be tender, though not mushy.

You might also like easy meat stuffed eggplant recipe with turkey.

Equipment you’ll need

• Kitchen scales, measuring cup and spoon
• Fine mesh sieve for rinsing the rice
• Small pot with lid for boiling the rice
• Cutting board and knife
• Large bowl and spoon
• Large oven tray and parchment paper

How to make easy stuffed peppers with turkey and rice: step-by-step

1.Start by heating up the oven to 180 C.  Then cook the rice according to packet instructions.  Once cooked, remove the lid and leave to cool completely.

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2. Whilst the rice is cooking cut the peppers in half through the top, remove the seeds and place on a large oven tray lined with parchment paper. Season, drizzle with oil and roast the peppers for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the juices from the peppers into the rice.

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3. Once the rice has cooled combine it with the rest of the filling ingredients, including the raw turkey and three quarters of the cheese.

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4. Then simply fill the peppers with the mixture, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and drizzle with a little oil.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Serve hot!

Top tips

• You can substitute turkey for ground chicken, pork or beef. Just try to use meat with similar fat content (approx. 7%).
• Herbs and spices: You can use cilantro instead of the parsley.  If you would like to spice this recipe up a bit more you can add pumpkin spice or Moroccan flavours, or even a bit of curry spice.  Smoked paprika, in addition to the garlic and onion granules, would work well too.
• I’ve used a mixture of peppers (to add more colour to my recipe) but you can use just one colour if you prefer.  Just ensure the peppers are roughly similar size.
• You can swap white rice for either brown or red rice, though bear in mind the filling mixture may not be as sticky.  (White rice is naturally quite sticky).  Remember also that non-white rice varieties need to cook longer.
• Freeze the peppers arranged in a single layer for up to 3 months.

More healthy stuffed peppers recipes

• Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers with Feta (Vegetarian)
• Stuffed Peppers with Brown Rice and Chickpeas

KEEP IN TOUCH!

How have your healthy turkey stuffed peppers turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Check out also this collection of 13 healthy, easy one pot chicken recipes!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Easy Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice

These stuffed peppers with turkey and rice make a fantastic meal or party food idea, perfect for any occasion.  Quick, simple and delicious!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Dinner, Party Food

Cuisine: International

Keyword: stuffed peppers, turkey

Servings: 6 people

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 6 medium mixed bell peppers
• 450 g lean ground turkey, approx. 7% fat content
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 100 g mature cheddar or other strong cheese, coarsely grated
• 4-5 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 tsp onion granules
• 1/4 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus a bit more for seasoning the peppers, and plenty of pepper
• olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
• Cook the rice according to packet instructions. Remove the lid and set aside to cool, stirring occasionally.
• Whilst the rice is boiling prepare the peppers. Cut each pepper in half from the top, remove the seeds and place on the baking sheet open end up. Season lightly and drizzle with a little oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the juices from the peppers into the rice. Leave the oven on.
• To make the filling combine the rice (it will have cooled by now) with the meat, onion and garlic granules, seasoning, parsley and 3 quarters of the cheese. Stir thoroughly and fill the pepper halves with the mixture pressing in well. Sprinkle each pepper with the remaining cheese, drizzle over a little oil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

• You can substitute turkey for ground chicken, pork or beef. Just try to use meat with similar fat content (approx. 7%).
• Herbs and spices: You can use cilantro instead of the parsley.  If you would like to spice this recipe up a bit more you can add pumpkin spice or Moroccan flavours, or even a bit of curry spice.  Smoked paprika, in addition to the garlic and onion granules, would work well too.
• I’ve used a mixture of peppers (to add more colour to my recipe) but you can use just one colour if you prefer.  Just ensure the peppers are roughly similar size.
• You can swap white rice for either brown or red rice, though bear in mind the filling mixture may not be as sticky.  (White rice is naturally quite sticky).  Remember also that non-white rice varieties need to cook longer.
• Freeze the peppers arranged in a single layer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 0g | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

RECIPE LINK PARTIES

I am bringing this easy turkey and rice stuffed peppers recipe to #CookBlogShare.  Also sharing with Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Alex @ Turks Who Eat and Zeba @ Food For The Soul.