Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers

Turkey and Wild Rice Stuffed Peppers

As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been all about comfort food lately. The best comfort food is home-cooked and made with love. It tells the person you make it for that you care for them and hold them close to your heart. It wraps them in a warm blanket and keeps them safe. Everyone has a different comfort food and most people derive it from their childhood. For me, one of my favorite comfort foods is stuffed peppers. Whenever I wasn’t feeling well my mother would make me turkey stuffed peppers. Each pepper felt like a little bucket of warm love made just for me.

My stuffed peppers are inspired by my mother’s recipe. I used tri-color peppers in yellow, orange and red and my turkey mixture is stuffed with wild rice, spinach and mushrooms for texture. The tomato basil topping adds a punch of flavor and ties the whole dish together. I promise they will not disappoint!

Like many of my favorite comfort foods, these can be made ahead of time and simply put in the oven an hour before dinnertime. The turkey mixture also makes a great meatloaf so if you make a double batch, you can get two meals out of one prep time! In fact, my next recipe will feature the same mixture turned into a delicious and super easy stroganoff so stay tuned!

Ingredients:

• 6 whole bell peppers, red, yellow and orange
• 1 lb extra lean ground turkey
• 1 large egg
• ½ c chopped crimini mushrooms
• ½ c cooked wild rice
• ½ c chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ½ c chopped fresh spinach
• 2 ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 14oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 c fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine crushed tomatoes and basil in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with hands until evenly combined.

Slice the top off each bell pepper, remove the inner ribs and seeds and discard. (Reserve the tops for salad topping or omelet.) Place peppers upright in a deep 9×13 baking dish. Fill each pepper with the turkey mixture, heaping over the top.

Pour the tomato mixture over each pepper and in the dish. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Servings: 6      Serving Size: 1 pepper with 1/3 cup tomato sauce

Calories: 252               Fat: 1.9g          Sat. Fat: .6g     Carbs: 31.5g

Sodium: 1804mg         Fiber: 6.7g       Sugar: 20.9g    Protein: 25.4g

YUM!