Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers
These Ground Turkey Stuffed Poblano Peppers are healthy and comforting! They're baked with rice, spinach, tomato sauce and topped with cheese.
Servings: 6
Calories: 367kcal
Ingredients
For the filling
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced, seeds and membranes removed for less heat
- 1 bell pepper any color
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped, or hearty greens of choice
- ½ cup cilantro minced, plus more for garnish
- 1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup long grain white rice equals 1 ½ - 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4-5 large poblano peppers or bell peppers
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated, or cheese of choice
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The first step is to cook the rice. This recipe calls for ½ cup of long grain white rice, which yields 1 ½ - 2 cups or so of cooked rice. Prepare ½ cup of long grain white rice according to package instructions using a sauce pan on the stove top or a rice cooker.Alternately, you can use leftover cooked white rice.
- Mince 6 cloves of garlic, 1 onion (white or yellow are best), 1 jalapeno pepper (remove seeds and membranes for less heat), and dice 1 bell pepper (any color)
- Roughly chop 2 cups fresh spinach (or any hearty greens such as kale or Swiss chard), and ½ cup of fresh cilantro.
- Remove the top portion of 4-5 large poblano peppers and chop them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Dice the chopped top portions of the poblano peppers and add them to the diced bell peppers. Feel free to use bell peppers instead of poblano peppers if you prefer.
- Place a large skillet on the stove top and heat to medium-high.Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet.
- Once the oil is heated, add the minced garlic, onions, jalapenos, and diced bell and poblano peppers to the skillet. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add 1 lb. of ground turkey (you can also use ground chicken) to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often (the turkey should be cooked through at this point).As the turkey cooks, add 1 tsp. of kosher salt, ½ tsp. of pepper, and 2 tsp. each of smoked paprika and Italian seasoning. Stir until incorporated.
- Add the 2 cups of chopped spinach (or hearty greens of choice) and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.
- Add the 1 ½ - 2 cups of cooked rice to the skillet along with ½ cup of minced cilantro and ½ cup of low sodium chicken broth to help keep the mixture moist. Stir until completely combined.
- Pour 2 cups of crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce) into the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.Arrange the halved poblano (or bell) peppers snugly into the casserole dish on top of the crushed tomatoes.
- Spoon a generous portion of the turkey rice mixture into each pepper (the mixture will likely overflow the peppers). Continue until all of the filling is used up.
- Cover the casserole dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.Grate 1 ½ cups of any variety of cheese that melts nicely. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Fontina are all great choices.
- After 45 minutes, take the casserole dish out of the oven and remove the foil.Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the peppers and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Remove the casserole dish from the oven.The stuffed peppers should be tender, but not mushy and easily pierced with a fork when finished cooking.
- To Serve: Serve the stuffed poblano peppers with some extra fresh cilantro for color and flavor (optional).
Notes
Bell peppers may be substituted for poblano peppers.
Any type of cheese that melts nicely may be used in this recipe.
Feel free to use leftover rice if that's what you have on hand.
It's best to use ground turkey that's at least 93% lean. If it's any leaner, there won't be enough fat and the mixture may be dry.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 367kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 624mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2772IU | Vitamin C: 120mg | Calcium: 233mg | Iron: 4mg