Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
/It's no secret that I don't enjoy spending hours in the kitchen on fancy, complicated meals. Whenever possible I opt for simple, fast and easy. However, every once and a while I like to go the extra mile and do something a little special, particularly if I'm cooking dinner for others. So if you're looking to up your ground turkey game beyond meatloaf and turkey sauté check out these amazing (and still healthy!) turkey and quinoa stuffed peppers topped with mozzarella and basil.
What You'll Need
- 4-6 peppers (any colors you like; try a mix of green, yellow, orange and red)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- Olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 cloves of chopped garlic
- 20 ounces ground turkey breast
- Italian seasoning (or basil, oregano and thyme)
- 8 ounce can of organic tomato sauce
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
- Organic black beans (or any kind of bean you like)
- Salt and pepper to taste (I don't add salt, but you may wish to)
What To Do
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a small pot add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer (low/medium heat) for about 15 minutes stirring with a fork occasionally. Remove lid and let any remaining water cook off. Remove from heat and place quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Drain and add the black beans to the quinoa.
- Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all the insides (seeds and membranes). Dice the edible part of the pepper tops for use later and disregard the rest. Blanch the peppers by submersing them in boiling water for 3-5 minutes in a large pot. Carefully remove with thongs and set upside down to drain. Stand the peppers up by packing them tightly in an oven-safe glass dish.
- In a large skillet heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive over medium/high heat and add the chopped onions. chopped garlic and chopped peppers and stir with a wooden spoon until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the ground turkey and cook until no pink remains. Stir in the tomato sauce. Turn off heat and add salt and black pepper to taste and 1-2 tbs of Italian seasoning.
- Add the contents of the skillet to the bowl with the quinoa and the black beans and throughly mix. Using a large spoon fill the peppers with the mixture packing them tight to get as much in them as possible. Top with shredded mozzarella and cover with tinfoil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove tinfoil and sprinkle chopped fresh basil on top. Cook for another 5 minutes until brown and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 10-20 minutes before serving.
