In the past week or so, Kara and I have been experiencing somewhat of a lull. A lack of inspiration if you will. You see, we’ve been trying to eat healthy AND we’ve been trying to create more original recipes. The combination of the two equals more thought and less sweets. Luckily we pushed through because we’ve come up with a recipe that we’ll make time and time again.
We tossed around the idea of stuffed peppers but weren’t sure which direction to take. I grew up eating my Mom’s Italian stuffed peppers, but since those call for Italian sausage and rice, they’re not the healthiest option. We decided on stuffed peppers with lean ground turkey and a Mexican theme. Honestly, we just threw stuff together, crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
Words can’t even describe how good these peppers were. They were ah-mazing. Cliff and I split one in half and scarfed it down for lunch. The rest of the peppers went home to my Mom and Dad to enjoy. Even better, they were so healthy! Every ingredient that went into them was healthy–from the spinach to the turkey to the black beans to the bell pepper shell. There was a sprinkle of grated cheese on top, but only a small amount! We even served with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Amazing! I can’t wait to make these again!
Here's what you'll need
Cut the tops off the peppers and carefully remove the insides
Start by browning the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon while it cooks
Mix in the beans, taco seasoning, jalapeno and baby spinach, continue cooking until spinach is just starting to wilt
Remove from heat, stir in the salsa. We used a full jar, I'd suggest using anywhere from 3/4 to 1 full 16 oz jar of salsa
Spoon the mixture into the peppers, filling them almost to the top
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top, bake for 30 to 45 minutes
Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt then garnish with fresh cilantro
My new favorite meal!
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Yield: 4-5 stuffed peppers
Ingredients
4-5 bell peppers, tops and insides removed
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 jalapeno, seeds/ribs removed and diced
16 ounce jar salsa (we used Rick Bayless’ Frontera medium chunky salsa)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 envelope taco seasoning
big handful baby spinach, rinsed
Greek yogurt, to garnish peppers
cilantro, roughly chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wash the peppers then carefully slice the tops off. To remove the insides, cut around the edges of the pepper then pull the center out with your hand. Try to get all the seeds out too. Place the peppers in a baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey over medium high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until it’s cooked through. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon while it cooks. Add the taco seasoning, black beans (make sure they’re drained and rinsed), jalapeno and baby spinach. Stir to combine. Cook until the spinach just starts to wilt, another minute or so. Remove pan from heat and mix in the salsa. Start with about 3/4 of the jar then add the rest if you want it juicier. We used the whole jar.
Spoon the meat mixture into the hollowed out peppers. Fill the peppers almost to the top, leaving just enough room for the cheese. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on top of each pepper. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the pepper should soften. You can tent the baking dish with aluminum foil if the cheese is starting to brown.
Remove from the oven and garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro on top.
Source: A Live Love Pasta original
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