These classic ground turkey stuffed peppers are loaded with a savory filling of lean ground meat, wild rice, and juicy tomatoes seasoned with Italian herbs. Topped with melty cheese, just wait until they’re out of the oven!
Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite easy dinners. Try my jambalaya stuffed peppers and these vegetarian quinoa stuffed peppers next. I even have a delicious stuffed pepper soup!
Maybe it’s because I grew up hooked on my Macedonian grandmother’s cheese-stuffed peppers, but if I see a pepper, chances are that I’ll stuff it. These classic Mediterranean turkey stuffed peppers involve hollowing out colorful bell peppers and stuffing them full of juicy ground turkey, rice, tomatoes, and spices. You can make this recipe as written, or get creative with fillings.
Reasons I’m Obsessed With This Turkey Stuffed Peppers Recipe
- Straightforward. These are no-frills stuffed peppers in the BEST way. They require simple ingredients, minimal preparation, and are packed with flavor. I love swapping classic white or brown rice with nutty wild rice for added texture.
- Mediterranean-inspired. Juicy tomatoes and Italian herbs give these turkey stuffed peppers a Mediterranean-style twist.
- Ready to make your own. Change the protein, rice, and seasonings to suit your tastes. It’s easy to adapt this stuffed peppers recipe depending on what ingredients are in season (or in the fridge).
Ingredients For Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Bell Peppers – Any color. I like to use a mix of colored peppers for more variety.
- Onion and Garlic – Finely chopped yellow onion and freshly minced garlic. You’ll also need olive oil for sautéeing.
- Ground Turkey – You can also make stuffed peppers with ground beef, pork, or chicken.
- Wild Rice – Your favorite wild rice blend, cooked according to the package directions. If you’d like, swap wild rice with brown rice or white rice instead. Quinoa is also a great choice.
- Tomatoes – You’ll need a can of chopped tomatoes as well as tomato paste.
- Italian Herbs – Choose your preferred Italian seasoning blend, or make it yourself with dried herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, parsley, and marjoram. You can also substitute a dried blend with fresh herbs if you prefer, though you’ll need approximately three times the amount of fresh herbs as dried.
- Cheddar Cheese – Freshly shredded sharp cheddar or Mozzarella cheese works great with these peppers. You could also use another melty cheese like Monterey Jack, Gouda, Swiss cheese, or Gruyère cheese.
Tips and Variations
- If you opt to stuff your bell peppers whole (as in, not cut them in half beforehand), you’ll need to bake them for 5-10 minutes longer.
- Leftover filling? Scatter it at the bottom of the baking dish around the stuffed peppers, and bake. It’ll get nice and crispy!
- Boost the flavor. I’ll sometimes add a bouillon cube to the filling for more flavor. Just crumble it in and cook until it dissolves. In this case, hold off on adding extra salt and pepper until you’ve tasted the filling, so you don’t over-season.
- Make it into a casserole. If you’re a stuffed pepper fanatic, you NEED to try this stuffed pepper casserole. It’s a delicious recipe that adapts the ingredients in these turkey stuffed peppers into a gooey, cheesy one-pot casserole.
- Different seasoning. Put a Tex-Mex twist on your turkey filling with taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
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Prep. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
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Prepare the peppers. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Rinse the peppers, pat them dry with paper towels, and set aside.
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Sauté. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
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Cook the turkey. Add the ground turkey and season it to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the turkey, breaking down the lumps, until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
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Add remaining ingredients. Add the cooked rice, canned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian herbs. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Stir in half the cheese and remove from the heat.
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Fill the peppers. Fill each pepper with the prepared mixture, then transfer the bell peppers to a lightly oiled baking dish.
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Bake the bell peppers. Pop the bell peppers in the oven and bake them for 20 minutes. Add the remaining cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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Finish and serve. Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before plating and serving.
- You do not have to cut your bell peppers in half; you can cut off the tops and fill the peppers whole. In this case, you will need to bake them for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Cheese options. Instead of cheddar, you can use your desired type of shredded cheese. I find that mozzarella pairs amazingly with the bell peppers.
- For a colorful dish, use a variety of colorful bell peppers.
- If you are left with any filling, scatter it around the bell peppers and bake.
- For extra flavor, crumble a bouillon cube into your filling and cook it until it dissolves. In this case, taste the filling before adding any extra salt and pepper.
- Rice options. White rice can be used as a substitute for wild rice, and this recipe is ideal for using up any leftover rice.
Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 424mg | Potassium: 928mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4225IU | Vitamin C: 165mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
These are the quick steps to prepare the best turkey stuffed peppers. I recommend a ceramic or glass baking dish for baking the peppers, as they tend to darken more in a metal pan.
- Combine the ingredients. To the same skillet, add your cooked rice, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian herbs. Stir and then simmer the mixture for 4-5 minutes so it heats through. Then, melt in about half the shredded cheese.
- Stuff the peppers. Scoop the mixture into the prepared bell peppers. You can be generous here. I always stuff them as full as I can! Afterward, arrange the filled peppers in a greased baking dish.
- Bake. Now, preheat the oven to 350ºF, and bake the stuffed peppers for 20 minutes. Lastly, you’ll sprinkle the last of the shredded cheese on top of the peppers and return them to the oven for 5 minutes, until that’s nicely melted. Let the turkey stuffed peppers rest outside of the oven for a few minutes before serving.
Storing and Reheating Stuffed Peppers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover turkey stuffed peppers covered in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm up your stuffed peppers in a 350ºF oven under foil. You can also reheat them in the microwave.
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