Stuffed peppers never excited me until recently. I usually found them bland and boring. I also didn’t like having my entire meal inside a pepper. It just didn’t fly. However, I was inspired one morning while watching a cooking show and I decided to give them a try. For the first time, I was going to make stuffed peppers…and with quinoa! Like nearly all my recipes, I have made changes to them from time to time depending on my mood or what leftovers veggies I wanted to eat up. I hope you’ll see how this non stuff pepper girl turned stuffed pepper lover feel for these babies.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey
6 bell peppers (red or green)
1 onion, finely diced
1 zucchini, cubed
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tomato (cubed)
Fresh spinach (1-2 large handfuls)
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ tsp fennel seed
¼ cup Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil
Olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400◦F.
2. Cut peppers lengthwise and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast cut side down in oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cook ground turkey in a skillet and season with salt, pepper, and fennel. Once ground turkey is browned and fully cooked, remove from skillet, set aside. Add enough coconut oil to saute onions, about 1 tablespoon. Cook onions until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute on low. Add zucchini and tomato, adding salt and pepper as you cook. Add fresh spinach to skillet and cover, cooking for just 2 minutes longer.
4. In a large bowl, mix ground turkey, vegetables, and quinoa together. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Carefully, add the filling to the peppers and set into a 9×13 pan with sides. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in a 400◦oven for 20-25 minutes.
6. Top with fresh parsley and enjoy!

Notes:

Pesto makes for great added flavor! Add to quinoa before mixing with ground turkey and vegetables.