%recipe— %romade

You can make Stuffed Peppers with any color pepper and any kind of ground meat-beef, lamb, turkey for example. I prefer to make mine with red bell peppers and turkey with hints of Mexican flavor.

Ingredients

4 red bell peppers
Olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb ground turkey
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 cup cooked or frozen peas
1 1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups tomato sauce

Directions

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, remove the tops of the peppers and scoop out the insides (seeds and membranes). Save the tops if you like but you don't need to. Blanche the peppers for 3 minutes then drain in a colander and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a high sided saute pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Saute for a few minutes then add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the ground turkey and the spices and cook until browned all the way through. Use your spoon to stir frequently and to break up the meat into even sizes. You can add more of the seasonings or use other flavors you may like such as garlic powder, chipotle in adobo, or thyme. Ground turkey is very bland so taste it after it is cooked to make sure it is flavorful enough. Stir in the peas, rice, half of the cheese and 1 cup of the sauce.

Line up the empty peppers in a high sided oven proof dish. Nestle them so they won't fall over. Fill the peppers with the ground meat then cover with the rest of the sauce and the cheese.

Bake for one hour, covered, but not touching the tops, and serve hot. If you like your peppers to be crunchier, you can bake for 40 minutes instead.

Alternate method: Instead of stuffing the whole peppers, you could cut them in half lengthwise and lay them flat on a baking sheet and fill. You will not need to bake as long, but still should cover loosely with foil, making sure it doesn't touch the cheese.

Note: I like to sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese on at the end because I use it on almost everything but this is optional.