Southwest Turkey + Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

If you can get a meal in one dish, why the heck wouldn’t you? The days are longer and BBQ season is underway! More time to play, walk, work out, and drink wine on your front porch…speaking from personal preference, of course. Don’t waste that time making complex meals. If you’re not grilling some meat and throwing a salad on the side, we suggest throwing things into one pan and keeping it simple indoors.

Keeping it simple doesn’t have to mean pizza, though. These stuffed peppers are loaded with veggies and protein, and we substituted fibre- and protein-packed quinoa for the usual rice in order to amp them up even more. A quick, tangy sauce on the side completes the package. You could make a salad on the side or steam some broccoli… or you could call it a day and just dig in.

Since warmer temps usually call for lighter fare, we kept the calories low with ground turkey and just enough healthy extra-virgin olive oil to keep them moist and yummy.

Southwest Turkey + Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

serves 4-8

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 large bell peppers, halved lengthwise and cleaned of seeds & stems
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen kernel corn
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3-4 scallions, chopped
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups passata (depending on how saucy you like it)
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• pinch cayenne (if desired)
• 3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

for sauce:

• 1 – 1 1/2 cups passata
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt & fresh pepper

Instructions

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, then reduce to low and simmer.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion & garlic, and sauté 1 minute until fragrant.

4. Season turkey with salt & pepper, and add to pan. Brown and cook through, stirring as needed and breaking up large chunks.

5. Combine chili, paprika, cumin, coriander, thyme, and cayenne; add to pan, plus remaining 1-2 tbsp olive oil to moisten. Saute 1-2 minutes to heat spices.

6. Add passata, corn, and quinoa. Reduce heat to medium-low and sauté 5-10 minutes. Taste and season.

7. Stir in cilantro and scallions, and remove from heat.

8. Pour sauce into a large baking dish and place peppers down. Drizzle peppers with olive oil.

9. Use a measuring scoop or spoon to pack filling into pepper halves, overfilling slightly to form small mounds.

10. Cover baking dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, top with grated cheese and bake another 5-10 minutes uncovered to melt cheese and thoroughly cook peppers.

Enjoy!

Busy weekdays call for simple, one-pan dinners. Try this Weekday Weenie Bake or One-Pan Green Bean & Almond Trout!

Love stuffed peppers? Try these delicious Italian Stuffed Peppers next!