Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers

A fun twist on classic stuffed peppers, this ground turkey stuffed peppers recipe includes black beans, corn, salsa, cheese and lots of flavourful spices. Baked stuffed bell peppers is such a satisfying comfort food meal that’s easy to prepare and tastes so yummy!

Stuffed peppers. Did you grow up with them? I certainly did! Though, the version I had growing up was more of an old-fashioned stuffed bell pepper recipe made with ground beef and tomato sauce.

The stuffed peppers recipe that I’m sharing today is a twist on that traditional version. Made with ground turkey and other non-traditional ingredients, like black beans, corn and salsa, these ground turkey stuffed peppers are equally as delicious and just as easy to prepare.

Ingredients

• Bell peppers: Bell peppers are, of course, the star of this stuffed pepper recipe! I used a variety of colours, like green, yellow, orange and red. Green bell peppers tend to be less sweet than the others.
• Olive oil: Used to cook the ground turkey.
• Ground turkey: Ground turkey is a yummy alternative to ground beef for stuffed peppers. If, however, you’d rather use ground beef (or even ground chicken), go for it!
• Shallot: Onion always adds so much flavour to recipes. Feel free to substitute with a small yellow onion.
• Tomato paste: Helps to bring the stuffed peppers filling together and adds flavour.
• Salsa: I like to use a chunky salsa. Keep in mind that the spice level of your salsa will impact the overall spice level of the recipe. Use something that you enjoy.
• Cooked rice: Cooked rice is classic in a stuffed peppers filling. I’ll usually use jasmine, basmati or white rice. I’ve even made turkey stuffed peppers with quinoa, and it’s pretty delicious!
• Corn kernels: I used canned corn kernels, but frozen corn would also work.
• Black beans: Canned black beans adds heartiness to the filling.
• Seasoning: There’s lots of seasoning in the filling, which includes chili powder, salt, black pepper, chipotle chili pepper, oregano and ground cayenne pepper.
• Chicken broth: This is mixed with some salsa in the baking dish to help create the sauce for the peppers.
• Cheddar cheese: Shredded marble cheddar cheese tops the bell peppers. You can substitute with Monterey Jack or a spicy version.
• Green onion or chives: Adds a pop of colour and flavour to the baked stuffed peppers. Alternatively (or in addition to), chopped cilantro would make a yummy garnish.

How To Make Stuffed Peppers

Here is an overview of how to make ground turkey stuffed peppers (full details are in the recipe card below):

Prepare the bell peppers

Horizontally slice the top off each bell pepper, then remove the core and seeds. Boil the bell peppers in a pot of water. Once they’ve softened just a tad (they’ll finish in the oven), remove them from the water and allow them to cool. While they’re cooling, you can get started on the bell pepper filling.

Tip: Ideally, use bell peppers that have four lobes (or bumps) on the bottom so they easily stand upright in the baking dish. Some of the bell peppers I used only had 3 lobes on them. If that is the case for you too, no worries! You can try to slice a little off the bottom of the bell pepper (without piercing through), just enough for it to easily stand upright. Alternatively, you can use a baking dish which is just large enough to hold the peppers, but small enough so that they can rest against each other and stand upright.

Make the filling

1. Cook ground turkey in a little olive oil until it’s fully cooked through.
2. Add shallot and garlic and cook until the onion has softened.
3. Stir in tomato paste and cook for a minute to get the flavours going.
4. Stir in some salsa, cooked rice, corn, black beans and seasoning.

Stuff the peppers and bake

1. Pour more salsa and some chicken broth in a baking dish.
2. Arrange the prepared bell peppers in the dish, then fill them with the ground turkey mixture.
3. Top each bell pepper with shredded cheddar cheese.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake, removing the aluminum foil partway through cooking.

Tip: If you have leftover ground turkey filling and have used up all your bell peppers, no worries! The delicious filling can be used in something else, like quesadillas, burritos, wraps or nachos.

What To Serve With Stuffed Peppers

These ground turkey stuffed peppers are pretty hearty all on their own, but I just love to serve them with a side. Some of my favourites are:

• Mashed potatoes
• Green salad
• Sautéed spinach or kale
• Corn and black bean quinoa salad

Oh, and upon serving, aside from serving the stuffed peppers with the salsa sauce, I love to drizzle over a little hot sauce. It pairs lovely with the flavours in the peppers.

Leftovers and Storing

Properly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat before serving.

Reheating Leftovers

To reheat leftover stuffed peppers, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the stuffed peppers (along with the salsa and broth mixture that you originally used to bake your peppers) in a baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until heated through (the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit).

Alternatively (and for a much quicker reheat time), you can place the stuffed peppers in a microwave-safe dish and reheat on 30-second intervals until heated through (the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit).

Tips for Recipe Success

• Bell pepper size: Try to use bell peppers that are roughly the same size. Based on the bell peppers I used, I was able to get 6 stuffed peppers. If your peppers are slightly smaller or larger, the quantity you yield may vary.
• Keep the bell peppers upright: As mentioned, you want the bell peppers to stand upright in the baking dish (so the ground turkey filling doesn’t spill out). Ideally, your peppers will stand upright on their own. If not, you can slice a little off the bottom of them (without piercing), so they stand upright. Alternatively, you can use a baking dish which is just large enough to hold the peppers, but small enough so that they can rest against each other and stand upright.
• Prevent cheese loss: Spray one side of aluminum foil with cooking spray before covering the stuffed peppers. That way, it’ll help minimize cheese loss (the cooking spray helps prevent that yummy melty cheese from getting stuck onto the aluminum foil). If you’re still concerned about cheese loss, bake the stuffed peppers in a cast-iron enameled Dutch oven, just big enough to hold the peppers. Those are pretty deep, so you will have no worries about the cheese sticking to the pot lid.
• Thicken the sauce: This salsa-based sauce is thinner than what a traditional tomato-based stuffed pepper sauce would be. If you want a thicker sauce, you can either thicken the sauce with a tablespoon or two of tomato paste (stir in when you add the salsa and broth) or use marinara sauce or tomato sauce instead of the salsa and chicken broth combo.
• More sauce: If you want more sauce to serve with your bell peppers, you can either add it to the baking dish before baking or serve some extra once the peppers are baked.
• Make it extra cheesy: Like your stuffed peppers extra cheesy? Mix a little into the filling before stuffing the peppers, about 1 cup or so.

More Easy Ground Turkey Recipes

• Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta
• Ground Turkey Rice Bowls
• Cheesy Ground Turkey Quesadillas

If you try this recipe for turkey stuffed peppers, be sure to leave a comment below!