White Bean, Spinach & Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers
Delicious Italian-style turkey stuffed bell peppers with spinach, white beans, orzo, tomato basil sauce, and melty mozzarella cheese. These protein-packed ground turkey stuffed peppers are easy to make for the perfect weeknight dinner!
Servings 6 peppers
Calories 484cal
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked orzo
- For the sauce:
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 ¾ cups chunky tomato sauce (such as marinara), divided
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- For the turkey:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground turkey (or ground turkey sausage for even more flavor!)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- For the mix-ins:
- 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans
- 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 ounces Parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)
- For the peppers:
- 6 medium to large green or red bell peppers
- 1 heaping cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- To garnish:
- Fresh julienned basil
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to directions on the package. Then drain and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, add 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (reserving 1/4 cup for later), garlic cloves, basil, Italian seasoning and oregano. Blend on high 1-2 minutes until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and turkey breaking up the meat as you stir. Season with salt and pepper and saute, stirring occasionally until turkey is cooked and no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce from the blender until turkey is well-coated. Stir in the beans, cooked orzo and spinach and simmer uncovered on medium low heat for 10 minutes; stirring every few minutes (the spinach will break down as you cook it). Taste and add additional salt and pepper, as necessary.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.
- While the turkey and sauce are cooking you can prepare the peppers: Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Rinse out extra seeds and place each pepper next to each other in a greased 2 quart baking dish. Alternatively you can cut the peppers in half lengthwise and place them skin-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Totally fine if they are touching.
- Divide mixture between each pepper. Add an extra spoonful of reserved tomato sauce on top each pepper. Sprinkle the tops with mozzarella.
- Coat a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and place spray-side down on the baking dish and cover tightly. This prevents the cheese from sticking to the foil. Bake peppers for 35 minutes until fork tender. Remove foil, then place back in oven and cook for 10 more minutes or until cheese is slightly golden brown. Makes 6 whole peppers, or 12 pepper halves.
- Top peppers with fresh julienned basil and red pepper flakes, if desired. Extra parm on top is yum, too!
Notes
Feel free to use quinoa or brown rice instead of orzo. If it's easier, you can buy pre cooked frozen brown rice (you'll need 1 cup cooked).
Peppers can be prepped ahead and baked later, just follow instructions up to baking them in step 6. Keep them in the fridge until you're ready to bake them.
Peppers are freezer friendly; just bake them, cool and freeze for a later meal.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pepper | Calories: 484cal | Carbohydrates: 37.3g | Protein: 33.1g | Fat: 23.3g | Saturated Fat: 8.9g | Fiber: 9.1g | Sugar: 9.6g