Halloween is just around the corner and when I saw this recipe for Jack-O-Lantern stuffed peppers I KNEW I had to give these guys a shot.....and add my own twist of course! I'm also adding throughout the recipe and at the bottom my suggestions for what I'd do differently next time for your reference! But I have to say, these were absolutely fabulous!!!
Ingredients
- 4 medium orange bell peppers
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. raw 93% lean ground turkey
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp. chili powder
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- Ground black pepper to taste; optional
- 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce, no sugar added
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup black beans drained, rinsed
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Slice stem end off peppers. (Reserve for later use.) Remove seeds and veins from peppers. Cut a jack-o-lantern face out of one side of each pepper. Stand peppers upright in baking dish. Set aside. If needed, cut bottom of peppers so they stand upright.
- Preheat oven to 400ยบ F.
- Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent.
- Add turkey; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until almost browned.
- Add garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
- Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, worchestershire sauce, tomato sauce, fire roasted tomatoes and black beans; cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add rice; mix well.
- Fill peppers with turkey mixture. Top with reserved stem end of peppers Add water to the baking dish. Cover with foil.
- Bake peppers for 20 minutes, or until tender-crisp. ***I baked for 20 minutes and peppers were still a little too firm. If you do not blanch or pre-cook your peppers, I recommend cooking for at least 30 minutes, especially if using green peppers.
- Remove stem top of peppers, sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil under high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Replace tops and serve.
Portion Control Servings: 2 Green, 1 yellow, 1 red, 1/2 blue, 1/2 tsp
TIPS
I combined a couple of different recipes to come up with this, and threw in a few of my own ingredients. These tasted AMAZING but I do have a few things I'd like to try differently next time! If you like more heat, I would recommend adding red chili flakes and/or extra chili powder. I thought the fire roasted tomatoes would add more heat than they did. I also think italian seasoning would be great to add into this mixed with the other seasonings. I made this with both orange and green peppers (not pictured). The orange peppers were cooked pretty well at 20-25 minutes but could have used a few minutes longer if you like your peppers a little less firm. The green peppers needed about another 10-15 minutes more. I like my peppers to have a little crunch so they were fine for me.
As I am on diet these days. That is why I was looking for some low carb meal plans for myself. In search, I found your blog. It is really helpful. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete