Southwest Turkey and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

These hearty and healthy Southwest stuffed peppers are full of ground turkey, black beans, and kale and then topped with queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and lime.

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It’s officially late summer and that means it’s time for one of my all-time favorite meals – stuffed peppers! I wait all year for my garden peppers to show up specifically so I can stuff them. I love the variety of ingredients that can be used to stuff a pepper and all the flavor combinations available. One of the most quintessential of all flavors used in stuffed peppers are Southwest ones. Spices like cumin, chili powder, and paprika work magic with these things. They’re kind of deep and earthy and they complement the sweetness of the peppers perfectly. Brighten them up with some fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime and you’re in business. These stuffed peppers are easy to prepare and are hearty enough for a weeknight meal.

Stuffed peppers might seem like an intimidating meal if you’ve never made them but I assure you it’s not. Just follow these steps and you’ll be fine. Start off by heating the oven to 350 degrees. All good recipes begin with garlic and onions so grab a knife and prepare to chop. Mince 6 cloves of garlic, 1 white onion, and 1 jalapeno (remove seeds for less heat). Now chop 3 cups of fresh kale and cut 4 large bell peppers in half. You can use any color bell pepper you like – I went for a variety because it just seemed more fun that way. Remove the seeds, membranes, and stems from the pepper. At the end of the chopping you should have 8 bell pepper halves.

Next up is to saute all those chopped ingredients. Heat a saute pan to medium and add 1 Tbsp. or so of vegetable oil. Once that’s heated add the minced garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often (there is nothing in the world like the smell of garlic and onions sauteed in a pan). Now add 1-1 1/2 lbs. of ground turkey. Break the turkey apart with a spatula and saute until browned (about 10 minutes or so). As the turkey is cooking add 2 tsp. smoked paprika, 2 tsp. adobo seasoning, 1 tsp. cumin, and 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Once the turkey is cooked through add the 3 packed cups of chopped kale. The kale will wilt down as it cooks. Now add 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed).

The ingredient that gives this recipe a little extra kick is red enchilada sauce. You can definitely make your own enchilada sauce if you’re feeling ambitious (and if you have a good recipe – please, share it with me) but I went for the canned version to make life a little easier. Pour 2 cups of red enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch cake pan. Now take the prepared turkey filling and use it to stuff each of the pepper halves. Try to divide the filling evenly among the peppers. There should be just enough filling to (generously) stuff all of them. Cover the cake pan with some foil and pop it in the oven.

Bake the stuffed peppers for 30 minutes with the foil on and then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes. The foil will help the peppers ‘steam’ in there and soften and then removing it will allow them to caramelize and sweeten. This will also help the tops get kind of golden. After 45 minutes they should be all ready. Remove from the oven and prepare to serve.

To serve, spoon some of the enchilada sauce onto a plate or bowl and set the stuffed peppers on top. Now all we need is a little bit of freshness. Chop 1/2 cup or so of fresh cilantro and cut a lime or two into wedges. Sprinkle a generous amount of queso fresco on top of the peppers. Queso fresco is an un-aged mild-flavored white cheese used a lot in Mexican cooking. It literally means ‘fresh cheese’. You can find it at most supermarkets. If you can’t find queso fresco you can use any kind of cheese you like. Simply top them with your cheese of choice and pop it back in the oven to melt if you decide to go the melt-y cheese route.

Garnish with the chopped cilantro and add a squeeze of fresh lime. That’s all – super easy meal with tons of flavor. You can think of these stuffed peppers as kind of a shell-less taco. They contain a lot of those quintessential taco flavors that we all know and love. If you get hooked on stuffed peppers and want another version you can try these Turkey and Rice Stuffed Poblano Peppers. They’re equally delicious.

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Southwest Turkey and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

1 hrs

Total Time

1 hrs 15 mins

 

These hearty and healthy Southwest stuffed peppers are full of ground turkey, black beans, and kale and then topped with queso fresco, fresh cilantro, and lime.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 8

Calories: 209 kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

• 4 large bell peppers
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 white onion
• 1 jalapeno remove seeds for less heat
• 1-1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey
• 3 packed cups chopped kale
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. adobo seasoning
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
• 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/2 cup queso fresco
• 2 limes
• salt
• pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mince 6 cloves garlic, 1 white onion, and 1 jalapeno (remove seeds for less heat). Chop 3 cups of kale. Cut 4 large bell peppers in half. Remove the seeds, membranes, and stems from peppers.

3. Heat a saute pan to medium. Add 1 Tbsp. or so of vegetable oil. Once oil is heated add garlic, onion, and jalapeno. Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add ground turkey and break apart with spatula. Cook until browned (about 10 minutes or so). Add the following spices as the turkey is cooking: 2 tsp. smoked paprika, 2 tsp. adobo seasoning, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Add 3 packed cups of chopped kale. Stir and cook until wilted.

6. Drain and rinse 1 can of black beans. Add to cooked turkey and kale.

7. Add 2 cups red enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan.  Add the cooked filling to each of the pepper halves, dividing evenly. Cover the pan with foil and pop the pan in the oven.

8. Bake for 30 minutes with the foil on. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

9. Chop 1/2 cup or so of fresh cilantro and cut limes into wedges.

10. To serve: Spoon some of the enchilada sauce onto plate or bowl. Add stuffed peppers to the plate or bowl and garnish with queso fresco, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to use regular oregano if you are unable to find Mexican oregano.

Nutrition Facts

Southwest Turkey and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers

Amount Per Serving

Calories 209

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.