Stuffed Green Peppers with Brown Rice,Ground Turkey, and Parmesan

These stuffed peppers are one of my favorite weeknight meals. They are a great meal to make ahead of time and then throw in the oven when you are ready to eat them.

Ingredients:

1 cup long-grain brown rice

6 large green peppers or 8 medium green peppers, bottom trimmed, cap end cut off and diced, and seeds removed

1 large onion, diced

1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons ground fennel seed

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 cup parmesan cheese

½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions: 

Start by cooking one cup of long-grain brown rice. Follow the package directions to cook the rice.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Next step is to prepare the green peppers. Slice off the bottom of the green pepper to make a flat spot for the pepper to stand on.

Cut off a fairly generous amount of the stem end of the pepper. You will be chopping that up to add to the stuffing mixture. Then remove seeds and stand the peppers up in a baking dish you've sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil. I like to use a 9x13 inch glass baking pan.

Place the baking pan with the green peppers in the oven while you prepare the stuffing mixture. I like to do this step because then the peppers cook more.

Remove the stems from the tops of the green peppers and then chop up the pepper tops along with one large onion. I made this fairly small dice because I wanted it well-distributed in the rice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then saute the peppers and onions for 3-4 minutes, until they are starting to soften but aren't browned. Add in the ground turkey with the peppers and onion. Also, add in all of the spices and the rest of the olive oil. Cook until ground turkey is no longer pink. About 15 minutes.

Then mix in the cooked brown rice and parmesan cheese and cook 1-2 minutes to warm the mixture. Take the green peppers out of the oven.

Stuff the filling mixture into the peppers, pushing down with a spoon so the peppers are tightly stuffed. Top with grated mozzarella cheese.

If you have peppers that are smaller than I did, you might have a bit of filling left. You can bake it in a small ramekin along with the peppers. Cook the stuffed peppers at 350 F for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

Green peppers are a great way to get fiber, vitamin C and E. Ground turkey is a great way to get protein. Just 4oz provides roughly 48 percent of the daily value of protein and provides you with your daily value of niacin and vitamin B-6. Ground turkey is also rich in selenium, a trace mineral that supports immunity, controls thyroid function and protects your body against the cellular damage that can lead to cancer or other chronic diseases. These peppers are delicious and nutritious!

Enjoy!