Ok, so I hated these growing up. Then one day about a year ago, I decided to try them again. And they’re AMAZING. Making them with ground turkey and adding a secret spice to them kind of makes them taste – warmer, I think. Brendan added these to the top of his “favorites” list and he gets soooo super psyched whenever I tell him I’m going to make these for dinner. This all comes together really quickly, especially if you use quickie rice, looks so pretty and makes perfect leftovers, too. Enjoy.
STUFFED PEPPERS (makes 6 halves)
- 3 red and/or orange bell peppers
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. EVOO
- 2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
- 1/3 vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 large tsp Garam masala (don’t skip this, it gives it a unique flavor we love)
- 1 large tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 C chicken broth
- Grated cheddar cheese
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced
- Uncle Ben’s quick-cook rice (I use the whole grain brown chicken-flavored rice) that cooks in 90 seconds
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Heat EVOO over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chopped onion, garlic and cilantro, sautee for 2-3 minutes.
- Add ground turkey, garlic powder, garam masala and salt, stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is browned.
- Add 1/2 C. chicken broth and all the tomato sauce, turn the heat to low and simmer for five minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the peppers lengthwise (I think this also makes the dish look so much better), scrape out the seeds, but keep stems on if possible for decoration.
- Heat up the rice according to package directions, then add to the turkey mix. Stir to combine.
- Place peppers in a baking dish, then carefully stuff with the turkey and rice mixture.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add another 1/2 C. of the chicken broth to the baking dish, creating a little pool of liquid around the peppers (don’t splash this IN the peppers).
- Cover and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.
- Remove from oven, top with scallions and serve immediately.
