Stuffed Peppers

Yields: 4 servings

Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Stuffed peppers are a simple but delicious dish. They’re versatile and not very labor intensive- the perfect dinner for a busy family. Use whatever ground meat you have on hand and any seasonings you like! Here, I keep these peppers on the lighter side with lean ground turkey and just a small grating of mozzarella. My pro tip: make the rice the day before for the best stuffing texture!

Ingredients:

• 4 large bell peppers

• 1 cup cooked white rice

• 1 lb. ground turkey

• 1/2 yellow onion

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 italian breadcrumbs

• 3/4 cup marinara or italian gravy, divided

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup Parmesan

• Parsley

• Basil

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• 1/2 cup mozzarella

Directions

Step One:

Preheat oven to 350º.

Step Two:

Cut the tops off bell peppers with a sharp paring knife. Remove all seeds and membranes.

Step Three:

In a large bowl, mix together rice, turkey, chopped onion and garlic, breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup gravy, egg, and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined. Season to taste with chopped parsley and basil and salt and pepper.

Step Four:

Divide mixture by four. Stuff each pepper with filling until slightly domed. Top each pepper with a spoon full of gravy and a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Step Five:

Spread remaining gravy on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Place peppers in baking dish and roast uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour. Internal temperature should hit at least 150º, no higher than 165º.

Step Six:

Move peppers to highest oven rack and set on broil for 2 minutes or until cheese has browned and caramelized. Serve immediately with extra gravy and a sprinkle of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan.

Test Your Meat!

Want to test the seasoning of your mixture before stuffing your peppers? Take a small spoonful and brown quickly in a small skillet. This is a great method to taste for seasoning in most ground meat recipes; meatloaf, meatballs, burgers, etc.