Description
Delicious Southwestern Stuffed Peppers filled with ground turkey, cauliflower, and cheese.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. ground turkey (see notes)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided (or slightly more, depending on your pan)
- 6 bell peppers, any color
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 large Poblano pepper, finely chopped (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning (or use your favorite purchased Taco Seasoning Mix)
- 1 teaspoon Vege-Sal (or slightly less regular salt)
- 1/2 large head cauliflower
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons grated low-fat Mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. (The best size is a dish that will barely fit all the peppers when they’re standing up.)
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the ground turkey breaking it apart with your fingers as you put it in the pan, and cook turkey over medium-high heat until the turkey is completely cooked and starting to brown, about 10-12 minutes. Use your turner or a potato masher to break the meat apart as it cooks. (Most ground turkey will release some water, just keep cooking and let that evaporate.)
- While the turkey cooks, prepare the peppers. Slice off the stem end, discard the stem, and trim any white parts. Carefully slice off the bottom end, taking off just enough to make the pepper stand up straight. Put the peppers into the baking dish. Chop the pepper ends and bottom pieces to make at least 1 cup diced peppers, saving the excess for another use if you have more than that.
- Finely chop the Poblano chile and chop the onion.
- Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and then pulse in a Food Processor (or use a big hand grater) to make very small pieces, somewhat the size of cooked rice. (If you don’t start with small pieces in the food processor, you’ll have a hard time getting them all chopped evenly.)
- When the turkey is browned, remove it to a plate, wipe out the pan, and heat the other 2 teaspoons of olive oil. (You can also do this in a separate pan if you don’t want to wait.)
- Sauté the onion about 2 minutes. Add taco seasoning and Vege-Sal and cook about 1 minute more. Add the chopped bell peppers and Poblanos and sauté about 2 minutes. Then add the chopped cauliflower and cook about 4-5 minutes, or until it’s starting to get soft.
- Stir in the browned turkey and turn off the heat. When the mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the 1 cup of cheese.
- Use a spoon to stuff each pepper with the mixture, pressing it down tightly with the spoon.
- When all the peppers are filled, top each one with one tablespoon of grated Mozzarella.
- Bake 30-40 minutes, depending on how cooked you prefer the whole peppers (I like mine slightly crisp still) or until the cheese is lightly browned.
- Serve Southwestern Stuffed Peppers (with Cauliflower Rice) hot and enjoy.
Notes
- Using frozen cauliflower rice is an option; thaw it before using and ensure it’s cooked until the liquid evaporates.
- Adjust salt to taste as needed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southwestern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed pepper
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 560mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 50mg