Scrumptious Stuffed Peppers

                                                                         

                                   

Mmmmmm Stuffed Peppers. One of my all time favorite comfort foods. And although they are delicious when made the traditional way, lets face it, they are not exactly great for you.
The beef..the rice..the cheese...you can be facing a huge belly bomb with just one! So I changed mine up a little to make them lighter and slightly less tummy busting. And course, they still taste delicious. If diet is not a big concern, by all means substitute Ground Beef and Rice for my Turkey and Quinoa. But try it my way, I bet you will like it! This recipe makes enough filling for 4 Peppers and any leftover filling can be refrigerated and used in other veggies or even eaten alone.

The Ingredients

                                       

    

4 Bell Peppers, any color

1 pound Ground Turkey (or other ground meat of your choice)

1 cup uncooked Quinoa (or substitute 1 cup of cooked long grain rice)

1 small Yellow Onion, chopped

1 clove of Garlic, minced

1 cup of Tomato Sauce

1 Egg

3 tablespoons Olive Oil, separated

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire or Steak sauce

1/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1 teaspoon dried Chives

Salt and Pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

The Method

In a large sautee pan heat 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil over medium heat. Add ground Turkey and cook until no pink remains. While Turkey is cooking, add 1 cup of Quinoa and 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil to a small saucepan and toast over medium heat. The Quinoa is toasted when it produces a slightly nutty smell--about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of dried Chives, and 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the Quinoa and bring to a boil. Season well with Salt and Pepper to taste. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 10-15 minutes or until all of the water in the pan is absorbed and the Quinoa has opened up. 

                                   

                                       

Remove cooked Turkey from pan and set aside. In same pan, add remaining tablespoon of Olive Oil and sautee the Onions and Garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and season well with Salt and Pepper. Add in 1 cup of Tomato Sauce and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. 

                                     

    

Return the cooked Turkey to the pot with the Onion mixture and stir well. Add in the cooked Quinoa and toss. In a small bowl, beat 1 Egg well and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Pour the Egg mixture over the meat mixture and stir until combined. 

                                      

  

The filling can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to stuff your veggies. When you are ready to fill the veggies, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove stems and seeds from Bell Peppers, making sure to  cut close to the stem to preserve as much of the Pepper as possible. 

                                     

   

Par-boil the peppers for 6-7 minutes, and then immediately place under cold running water until cool enough to handle. Fill the Peppers to the brim with stuffing and place in an oven-proof baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake  for 45 minutes, then remove briefly from oven and sprinkle Cheddar Cheese over the tops of each Pepper. Return to the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!