Ancient Peppers Stuffed with Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Rice

inAmerican Recipes, Chicken & Poultry Recipes, Double Duty Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Recipes, Rice, Bean, & Grain Recipes, Vegetable Recipes, Winter Recipes
  • YIELDS | 4 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 15 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 45-50 MINS

The taste of these peppers become sweeter when they bake. The filling is savory and gooey, and versatile. Use it to stuff peppers or make burgers or breakfast sausage. This dish is a family favorite. Even little kids will eat it!

Double Duty Recipe: Make twice the filling and use the leftovers for breakfast patties or turkey burgers later in the week. See Notes.

Ingredients

  • 12-ounce bag of frozen or fresh riced cauliflower, or 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 pound ground turkey, or vegan or vegetarian alternative
  • 6 good size sweet long peppers
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 1/2 white or yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large handful of fresh parsley, rinsed, stems removed, chopped
  • 6 to 8 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cup of grape tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of grated Romano cheese
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, Mexican blend cheese, any cheese that melts easily or vegan substitute
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400°F.
  2. Place foil or parchment on a rimmed sheet pan spray with non-stick spray or drizzle the bottom with a little olive oil and spread on sheet.
  3. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, add olive oil to the hot pan, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Pour in the frozen cauliflower, stirring until it has defrosted and cooked a little. Remove mixture and set aside.
  4. Add a bit more oil to the pan and add the ground turkey. Cook the turkey, breaking it up into small pieces until no longer pink, about 12-15 minutes. Drain if necessary.
  5. Add the onion, garlic, cauliflower mixture back into the pan with the turkey and then add all the other ingredients: parsley, basil, cheese, and tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste, mixing until all combined. Let it cool down a bit. In the meantime, prep the peppers.
  6. Rinse and dry the peppers and find the side of the pepper that will best lay flat in the pan.
  7. Cut a slit down the center of each pepper. Be careful not to cut through to the bottom of the pepper. If possible, work to to leave the stems in tact to give the dish a nice presentation. Pull out the seeds and ribs with your fingers.
  8. Drizzle the inside of each pepper with a little olive oil and some black pepper, then fill each pepper with the cauliflower rice and turkey mixture all the way to the top.
  9. Place them onto the rimmed sheet pan and top with a drizzle of olive oil.
  10. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the cheese melts and the peppers begin to wrinkle and become soft.
  11. Garnish with chopped basil and parsley.

Notes

To Make into Breakfast Patties or Burgers:

  1. Add 1 beaten egg and 1/2 cup flour to the mixture and mix but do not over mix. Form into patties or burgers.
  2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to a medium sauté pan, over medium heat and cook until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Serve with eggs or on a bun with your favorite cheese and a garnish of lettuce and a slice of tomato and onion.