Description
This Stuffed Pepper Casserole takes all the best flavors of classic stuffed peppers—ground meat, rice, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cheese—and transforms them into a hearty, healthy one-pot casserole. It’s easy to make and perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (or ground chicken or lean ground beef)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 12 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 cups water
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 1 (8-ounce) can no salt added tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or Monterey Jack/mozzarella)
- Optional for serving: Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, Greek yogurt
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or deep pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and diced onion. Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned and the onion is soft, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add thawed spinach and break it up with a fork so it’s evenly distributed. Stir in diced red and green bell peppers, water, diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and rinsed rice.
- Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Uncover, stir, scraping any rice from the bottom of the pot. Cover again and continue to simmer for another 10–15 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- Remove from heat. Stir again, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat for 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- If desired, place the pot uncovered under a broiler for 1–2 minutes to brown the cheese slightly. Watch carefully.
- Serve warm, garnished with chopped parsley or cilantro and a dollop of Greek yogurt, if desired.
Notes
- Brown rice will have a slight chew when done—this is normal. It should not be crunchy.
- You can use fresh spinach in place of frozen. Just sauté it first to reduce moisture.
- For a spicier version, add crushed red pepper flakes or use spicy pepper jack cheese.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze beautifully.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 549
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 58g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
