Stuffed bell peppers are a delicious meal idea made with ground turkey, long brown rice, marinara sauce and flavourful seasonings.
I have made many versions of stuffed bell peppers over the years, from vegetarian to beef, but this recipe is by far my favourite. Making stuffed bell peppers takes about 1 hour from start to finish but requires minimal effort on your part and you will only need a few ingredients.
Ingredients
- Bell peppers: any colour, ideally small-medium sized
- Ground turkey
- Long brown rice: my personal favourite but any rice will work
- Marinara sauce: any marinara sauce, keep in mind some may have more or less flavour/salt added.
- Onion
- Garlic
- Cumin
- Salt & pepper
Garnish: sesame seeds, cilantro
How to make Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Start by cooking the rice according to packaging, either in a rice cooker or on the stove top.
- Add ground turkey to pan on medium-high heat and break it up into smaller pieces. Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and let cook until turkey is no longer pink. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Once ground turkey is cooked, add marinara sauce and cooked rice. Mix everything until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup water to a 9×13 baking dish. This will help keep the moisture inside the dish, and cook the bell peppers perfectly.
- Spoon turkey mixture into each bell pepper (about 1/4-1/2 cup per bell pepper- depending on size) then place in baking dish. Cover with foil and place in oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Optional but I like to finish by broiling bell peppers for 2-3 minutes (keep an eye on them). This gives the top a nice crispy texture. Feel free to sprinkle the tops with cheese before broiling!
Best to eat stuffed bell peppers with a steak knife!
Common questions
Do you have to cook the meat before baking?
For this recipe, yes it’s best to cook the ground turkey with the seasonings and rice before stuffing it into the bell pepper. This will ensure the texture is not too soggy and the meat is fully cooked.
What do you eat with stuffed peppers?
This recipe is a full meal on it’s own however pairs well with any lighter salad. Try this easy Anytime, Chopped Greek Salad.
Video
Other recipes to try
- Vegan Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers
- 30-Minute Chicken Stir-fry with Peanut Sauce
- Baked Chicken Bruschetta
- Honey Dill Fried Chicken Bowls
Ground Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Total Time: 53 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
Stuffed bell peppers are a delicious meal idea made with ground turkey, long brown rice, marinara sauce and a few seasonings.
Ingredients
- 3 small-medium sized bell peppers, sliced with seeds and membrane removed
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 cup cooked long brown rice
- 4 tbsp onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup marinara sauce
Garnish: sesame seeds, cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add ground turkey to pan on medium-high heat and break it up into smaller pieces. Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and sauté until turkey is no longer pink (about 10 minutes).
- Once ground turkey is cooked, add marinara sauce and cooked rice. Mix until combined.
- Add 1/2 cup water to a 9×13 baking dish. Spoon turkey mixture into each bell pepper (about 1/4-1/2 cup per bell pepper) then place in baking dish. Cover with foil and place in oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 10 minutes. Then broil for 2-3 minutes* (keep an eye on them!).
Notes
- *Broiling is optional but gives the top a nice crispy texture. Feel free to sprinkle the tops with cheese before broiling.
- Eat with a steak knife.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 38
- Category: Main
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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