Friday, June 17, 2011

Stuffed Baked Peppers with Ground Turkey


The Very Versatile & Very Delicious Stuffed Bell Peppers: :)
I did a Spanish Style this time around...

You need:
-Bell Peppers
-Package of Ground Turkey
-Handful of Spinach
-1 Small Onion (I used Yellow)
-2 Garlic Cloves
- About 1/2 Cup Pice de Gallo (I usually use homemade for this I used fresh store bought)
-1 Carrot - shredded
-Chopped Celery if desired
-About 1/3 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese (optional)
- (I didn't actually use the beans pictured, but they are always a great addition!)

Spices:
-Chili Powder
-Cumin
-Black Pepper
-Italian Herbs
-Cheyenne Pepper
-Veggie Salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Start with chopping the onion and mincing the garlic - throw in a pan on medium heat, let it brown a little bit and then throw in a big handful of spinach and let it reduce down.

I keep my ground turkey in the freezer as I buy it in bulk usually (I love it!) so I let it defrost overnight - then throw it in with the spinach/garlic/onion mixture.
*Again, experiment! What inspired me was we had some pico de gallo & spinach that needed to be used - use what you have!*

Add in your spices! Sorry I didn't measure, something I need to work on. My mom always taught me "to taste" and that's how I have always been. I put just a light sprinkle of cheyenne, a few teaspoons of cumin, chili powder, crushed some fresh black pepper and italian herbs over and added a little bit of veggie salt.


After the turkey has been mixed and I try to chop it up a bit with a spatula, add in the pico de gallo - and stir well. (Homemade pico de gallo is easy to make- this just needed to be used up).

After adding the pico de gallo, I shredded one carrot over the mixture and let it cook for a few more minutes.

Stuff those peppers! I cut the them in half and take out the seeds and some of the ribs. I kind of cram it in, and even put a little on top. Then sprinkle with a little cheese. I rarely eat dairy but we had some cheese about to go bad and it adds such a nice texture & flavor on top.

I had some leftover as seen here - great to throw in with eggs in the morning, or make a little quinoa or even on a salad!

Place your peppers in the oven and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or 25 to brown the cheese a bit - which I did and it turned out amazing and the peppers were nice and soft.

Let cool for a few minutes and serve! I used a fork & butter knife and it was fine. Also, don't be fooled I was pretty stuffed after just one!

This is a recipe you can play with! Next time I am think I may try a "Greek" version. Chopped up olives, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, basil, spinach, and top with some feta!

Please let me know any questions, suggestions, etc! As always thanks for reading and enjoy!

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