Turkey Stuffed Peppers
I love stuffed peppers stuffed with just about anything, but these turkey stuffed peppers filled with ground turkey and brown rice, seasoned with cumin and spices and topped with cheese are my favorite!
Stuffed Peppers are my jam! You may have tried my Sante Fe Turkey Stuffed Peppers, Chicken Taco Chili Stuffed Peppers, and of course the popular Stuffed Pepper Soup!
This stuffed pepper recipe is an oldie, and one that I’ve always loved which I first published back in 2008. They kind of remind me of a burrito only stuffed in a pepper instead. One half with a salad on the side is very filling for me, my husband Tommy enjoyed two. Madison is 6, so peppers aren’t her thing so I scooped it out for her and she loved it. Make extra so you can have leftovers for lunch!
How To Make Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Turkey Stuffed Peppers
I love stuffed peppers stuffed with just about anything, but these turkey stuffed peppers filled with ground turkey and brown rice, seasoned with cumin and spices and topped with cheese are my favorite!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 garlic, minced
- 1/4 onion, minced
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
- 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- Olive oil spray
- 6 tbsp part skim shredded cheddar cheese*
Directions:
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Lightly spray olive oil spray in a medium nonstick skillet and heat on a medium heat.
- Add onion, garlic and cilantro and saute about 2 minutes, add ground turkey, salt, garlic powder, cumin and cook meat for 4 to 5 minutes until meat is completely cooked through.
- Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.
- Combine cooked rice and meat together.
- Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds. Spoon 2/3 cup meat mixture into each pepper half and place in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top each with 1 tbsp cheese.
- Pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 45 minutes.
- Carefully remove the foil and serve right away.
*check labels for gluten-free
Nutrition Information
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 1/2 pepper
- Amount Per Serving:
- Freestyle Points: 5
- Points +: 6
- Calories: 221 calories
- Total Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: g
- Cholesterol: 61mg
- Sodium: 248mg
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 3g
- Sugar: 1g
- Protein: 18g
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Will Costko sell these again -best thing i ever bought from them
What kind of tomato sauce would go best with this recipe?
The recipe says 1 garlic minced. Do you mean one clove?
Yes.
No she means shove an entire clove of garlic in each pepper. C’mon, use a little common sense..
Thanks for the clarification, Gina and Diane. I can eat garlic by the head, so “shoving an entire clove of garlic in each pepper” would be ok by me. 🙂
😂😂😂😂😂😂 best answer ever
Common Sense. ? Hilarious Troll.. Do you have manners? There is 17 ways to make a clove of garlic. So rude! Good Question Diane. Don’t let those other put you down. How to Slice, Mince and Crush Garlic > Start Cooking
Start Cooking › how-to-slice-mince-and-…
Haha funny someone made fun of you… I checked the comments to see if anyone asked as I was looking for clarification too! So thank you for asking!
How can I save you recipes to Pinterest?
Are you having problems with the pin button that hovers over the image?
What is a serving? Just one half? Or a whole bell pepper?
Never mind haha it’s 1/2
Why type of onion do you recommend?
Yellow, white, whatever you have on hand.
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Tried this recipe! Absolutely delicious. Very Flavorful. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your tasty recipes!
How should I prep these to go in the freezer? Does the temp and baking time change once they’re frozen? Thanks!
You can thaw in the fridge overnight.
Do you freeze before you cook?
Hi: Do you ever pre-cook the peppers for 5 minutes,before filling them?. Would it cut down on the cooking time?Would it affect the end result! Thank you.. Looking forward to making these.. They look delicious.. Thank you.. Laura
I’ve done this before. Sometimes I will cut my peppers, de-seed them and then drop them a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. I guess that’s called blanching them? Not sure, but it softens them a bit and cuts down on the cook time in the oven.
Do you think this recipe would work with Cauliflower rice instead of Brown Rice? How would I figure the nutritional count? Thanks.
You can. I don’t have that nutritional info, sorry.
Did you try it with riced cauliflower? I love this recipe as written but was wondering how it would turn out with cauliflower. Would love to hear how it turned out!
I do this recipe with “riced” cauliflower and it is delicious! I just add it to the pan after browning the meat. Love this recipe!
I was looking to see if anyone else asked this question and I’m so glad you did! Thanks 🙂 can’t wait to try!
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I can’t believe these are only 5 Smart Points! I put the ingredients in my recipe builder and that’s what I got too. They were excellent and filling and the whole family liked them too! Thank you!
Can these be prepped the day before? I’m thinking about making/combining the insides(meat, rice, etc) and putting in fridge and then putting into peppers next day to go in oven. What do you think?
This is exactly what I was thinking after making them. Prep them over the weekend and pop in the oven during the busy week!
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Do you think these would work in the instant pot? Most recipes use raw meat then cook 12 minutes. What do you think? I made the 2 1/2 # batch of picadillo yesterday from your recipe (in the instant pot too) and I would love to pack it all in with brown rice into the instant pot for tomorrow’s dinner.
This one is in the regular rotation. The first time I made it, my son said it was his new favorite meal. Thank you for all the delicious and healthy recipes that everyone in my family loves.
You’re welcome Cheryl!
I have a sensitivity to the acid in tomatoes. Any alternative ingredient I could use instead? Or would it still be good without? Thank you!
I’ve made these a couple of times now, but last night I made them and decreased the rice to 3/4 cup. I also use like a half cup tomato sauce and decrease the chicken broth. I had plenty of filling and it reduced carbs a bit. Perfect.
So tasty! I substituted cauliflower rice for the brown rice and it was pretty darn good. Thank you for the share. My sister, the pickiest eater ever, really liked them.
I put the nutrition facts in my weight watchers calculator and it came up with 4 poins +. Am I missing something?
The only accurate way to determine any recipe’s SmartPoints® value is to plug the ingredients into the recipe builder on the Weight Watchers website (Click on “My Foods,” select “Recipe,” and click “Create a recipe.”) which does not count fruits and vegetables in recipes in the calculations as they are now 0 points.
The SmartPoints® calculator isn’t meant for recipes and will often give you the wrong points (usually higher) because it’s counting the fruits and vegetables. So if you see a recipe with a SmartPoints® value that’s different from what the calculator tells you, now you know why.
Made today and it’s absolutely delicious. I used beef instead, my husband love it too. I made extra filling so can have again next day!
Thanks Gina????
Sorry error.. shud be Thanks Gina!
How much uncooked brown rice will yield 1.5 cups cooked?
Nevermind I used google! Lol made these yesterday for my weekly meal prep! SO delicious. I used some tomato basil pasta sauce I had leftover instead of tomato sauce, but it still tasted great.
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It says freezer friendly, but how/when would I freeze this to eat later?
Everyone loved this, even my 95-year-old mother-in-law who doesn’t like to eat muxh of anything! She remembered this dish days later and asked that I make it again. In the year that she has lived with us, she’s only done that one other time, so that’s a pretty big endorsement! Thanks very much for sharing the recipe!
I didn’t think I liked stuffed peppers because I had only had it with green peppers. The red are sweet and so beautiful this time of year. I made this with tomato paste since I had a tube open in the fridge. This recipe is a keeper!
Great!
Hi Nancy, did you use 1/4 cup of tomato paste?
Another great recipe! I did use ground beef and green peppers because that is what I had on hand. Great flavor and easy to put together. I so appreciate all the awesome recipes! Makes a real difference in our lives!
Can you freeze these to eat later? At what point would you do it?
I make these and place on sheet pan and freeze individually, then put in bag for future use. I have a small baking dish I use and pour over a bit of sauce cover and bake from frozen for about an hour. Thanks for a wonderful recipe. Makes my fall/winter menu ever year!
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Do you place the pepper on the baking sheet, pour the extra broth and then cover over with foil?
In a baking pan I pour the broth on the bottom for steam. Then cover. Not on a baking sheet.
These stuffed peppers were delicious! I loved the flavor the chicken broth gave them. My whole family enjoyed these. I will definitely be making these again!
Another winner! Thanks Gina. My family snarfed down a double batch. So much for leftovers. :/
🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderfully recipe. My husband & family just loved it. My hubby said that this was so much better than the old recipe made with green peppers and beef. So exciting to find healthier recipes so delicious! This one is a definite keeper. I have to say that I am 76″ years old so it is never easy to try new healthy recipes but this is a real winner.
Thanks Joyce!
Gina
How would this be made in the instant pot? Thank you!
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These are the best!!! Love a meal that doesn’t require sides to be complete!
Hi! I am making these tonight from your recipe in Cooking Light for the Instant Pot. In the Instant Pot recipe, do you cook the ground turkey before you put it in the pepper?http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/instant-pot-turkey-stuffed-peppersThank you!!!Kristen
No it cooks in the pepper.
We all loved it!
This is great. I didn’t have any cumin left so I added a tablespoon of taco seasoning mix, which worked out great because it also helped thicken the mixture a bit.
I love this recipe!! My husband is trying to do keto, so I used cauliflower rice in place of the brown rice and made my own keto tomato sauce. They were still amazeballs!!
great!
This is one of my favorite recipes. The flavors are delicious. I’ve made the filling ahead of time and froze it also. My picky 9 year old likes it too.
Love kid approval! 🙂
I love this recipe! I do add more tomato sauce and a few red pepper flakes and I seem to always have enough filling for 4 peppers.
Absolutely delicious! I made this exactly ad directed except I uncovered the peppers for the last 10 mins then browned the tops for a couple of minutes. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Delicious! My husband liked these better than the previous recipe we used.
My whole family including my 6 and 8 year old loved it!! I substituted the chicken broth for water since I didn’t have any and it still tasted delicious!
My boyfriend and I just made this delicious dish, they were absolutely divine!! I will be making these at least once a month..I did tweak the recipe slightly and went with about one cup of brown rice and 8 ounces of tomato sauce.. Enjoy!!
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Can I use 99% ff turkey instead?
sure
Deeelicious recipe! Just the right amount of spices which gives it a great flavour. Thanks Gina!!!
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I love the filling. I hate peppers. So…used scooped out zucchinis instead. Win Win!!
How do you reheat these if you make them in advance and leave them in the fridge?
You could put them in the oven, or the microwave.
Do you put the sauce and chicken broth mixture in the bottom of the pan? Or do you mix that in the meat mixture and then add just chicken broth in the bottom?
I made this recipe tonight it turned out great. Instead of rice I used Cauliflower rice cooked with quinoa and lentils. Also only baked for 20 minutes so peppers were still Al dente. Also used a scotch bonnet pepper because we like spice in my house! Wonderful with a salad.
These stuffed peppers were sensational!!! The absolute best ever. And I’ve developed a new apprecitation for cumin too! Thanks so much, I’m about to make my 3rd batch in 3 weeks!
Making these for the 2nd time now. Great flavor for as healthy as it is!
Love this recipe. I sun your homemade enchilada sauce for the tomato sauce to spice it up a bit and serve extra sauce on the side.
This is my go-to meal prep lunch! I love these stuffed peppers, and I look forward to eating them (even if I have them every day). I make this recipe every couple weeks! Love all of the recipes I have tried from Gina, but this one has become a staple.
Best recipe for stuffed peppers. My family loved these so much. And they hated when i made atuffed peppers.
These are phenomenal Gina!! I was nervous to make them because I’ve never cooked with ground turkey, but I’m so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone. My husband didn’t even know I used ground turkey! Two thumbs up from me!!
IS there a way to cook these in the crockpot?
Loveddd this! My fiance and I recently started our ‘wedding diet’ and needed some dinner alternatives as we are already getting sick of the usual turkey meat meals. Super easy and filling. I did not believe that one half would fill me up so I bought 6 peppers for the 2 of us…we both only ended up eating a half! Now we have lots of leftovers which is great though. The only changes I made was to add some chili powder and cayenne since I like it with a lot of kick, and I think next time I’ll try mixing the cheese in with the meat before filling so every bite has some and not just the top. A+ though!
Anddd by 6 peppers I mean 3 peppers, aka 6 halves.
Is there a way to incorporate V8 juice instead of tomato sauce for more flavor?
I’ve never tried.
I skipped the chicken stock. I also used jarred marinara sauce. Came out great.
Very tasty. I made these without the cheese (only because i didn’t have any cheese in the fridge). Normally I stuff the whole pepper and cook it standing up. Next time I will try with the cheese and cut the pepper in half.
Love this yummy recipe.. Made it 2x I the last one month.
I have tried this recipe. It is very good and very filling with a side salad. Enjoy.
I have made this many times and it is always a hit!! It is delishis!!!
I’m excited to cook this tonight! I’m using 99% ff ground chicken and white rice… Translation 3 freestyle points for each halved pepper ! I’m digging that!
These were awesome! I prepared the turkey a few days ahead, then made the rice in my rice cooker and combined the two right before baking, which made this much quicker for a busy weeknight. SO DELICIOUS!
Very flavorful, will definitely make again.
super easy to make and super tasty! our whole family enjoyed these and the filling can be a staple for so many other dishes!
I made this for my family, and everyone loved it. I used orange peppers and it gave it a nice mild flavor. My boys didn’t like the actual pepper, but loved the rice. My husband and I loved everything. I am planning to make it again next week.
Thank You!! This recipe was absolutely delicious!! I seasoned the turkey with Badia complete seasoning and I swear you can not tell this is not ground beef! Super easy to make… I will add this recipe to my weekly rotation.
Love love love this recipe! Kids loved it too! Easy, delicious, and healthy – winning combo! Thanks!
Which have most people tried- parsley or cilantro- I love cilantro, but parsley seems more like the natural fit, just curious what you all used?
These are currently baking in my oven and I must say I’m so excited to try them!!! I tasted the filling before putting them in the oven and it was so yummy! The only modification I made to your recipe was using low sodium chicken broth to cook the rice so I didn’t add any extra broth to the filling. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for the recipe… Very delicious and healthy might I add. I have a family of 7 and we are trying to eat healthy as much as possible. Keep them coming. First thing we tried was turkey tacos, now turkey stuffed peppers… Yummy with a side salad
Love this recipe!! Blake it once – twice a month. An easy weeknight meal. I make one tweak to this recipe. I use one 8 oz can of tomato sauce. I use 4 oz (8tbspns) that I stir in with the meat and rice and let simmer for 5 minutes. Then I stuff the peppers and add a tbspn of the remaining tomato sauce on top of the meat in each pepper and then the cheese. I don’t think it would really impact the points. But either way it’s yum (I just hated throwing out 1/2 can of sauce). Thanks Gina!
This is really, really good and an easy weeknight meal. I always make double the rice needed and freeze half for an even easier meal the next time I make this. I did make one variation to this just because I didn’t want to throw out half a can of an 8 oz tomato sauce, I use 4oz (8tbspns) tomato sauce to mix in with the meat and chicken stock that I simmer for the 5 minutes. Then I stuff the peppers and add 1 tbspn sauce on top of the meat in each pepper and then the cheese and bake. Either way its a great recipe!!!
Thanks GIna!
Absolutely delishious, can’t wait to share recipe
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I have made this recipe over and over! We love it so much! I always make extra so we can eat leftovers the next day! One of my go to recipes for sure!!
Gina, I hate using the oven in summer because it heats up my house. Have you or anyone else wrapped these in foil and grilled? I imagine since the inside is cooked it would be fine?
We had this tonight for dinner. I substituted parboiled barley for the brown rice. Delicious! And enough leftovers for lunches the next day and a couple in the freezer for future. (There are only the two of us at home) Great recipe!
Good but a bit bland. If I make it again I’ll add more Cumin
I tried these but I substituted venison for the turkey. Did everything else the same. Did not have much taste to them. I don’t know if it was my substitution but next time I’ll try it as written. One thing I love about your recipes, I have two of your cookbooks, is that they come out like they say. If it says 12 muffins you get twelve muffins. In this case 2/3 cups of meat mixture filled 6 half peppers.
So easy and yummy! The only change I made was adding some Trader Joe’s chili lime seasoning I had on hand. My husband is super picky and he loved these! They were really good topped with the zesty avocado dressing as well.
I made this last night. Quick and so delicious. I added chopped mushrooms to the stuffing just because I had them. Great recipe.