A delicious, easy meal that will fill you up without breaking the calorie bank, FTW.
Every now and then I crave a good, ole fashioned, stick-to-the-ribs dinner. The trouble is, I like to keep most of my meals at least somewhat healthy, and a lot of the time it works out that the rib-stickin’ stuff is pretty high in all the stuff I try to save for ‘cheat’ meals. The fact that these guys aren’t total calorie busters, coupled with their amazing flavor and how easily they come together makes ’em one of my absolute favorite go-to weeknight meals (plus they’re great leftover, which means they’re perfect for meal prep, if you’re into that). Here’s what you’ll need to make them and how I put them together:
Ingredients:
5 bell peppers of various colors (tops, seeds and membranes removed)
1 pound lean ground turkey (I use a 93/7 lean:fat blend)
1 tbsp each chili powder and cumin
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp each salt, garlic powder and dried oregano or dried Italian seasoning blend
1/2 tsp each Worcestershire sauce and black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes (I use a “Mexican Style” blend with peppers and onions mixed in)
2 yellow or brown onions, thinly sliced
1 8.8 oz bag microwaveable brown rice
1 cup Mexican or Fiesta blend shredded cheese
1/2 cup beef stock or broth
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Directions:
Get your onions going first. Saute them in a pan over low heat with 1-2 tbsp olive oil until brown, tender and sweet, about 15-20 minutes. Remove them from the pan and keep them to the side. In the same pan, cook the turkey until it’s brown. You won’t need to add any liquid; it’ll make it’s own as it cooks.
While the turkey cooks, add the salt, pepper, spices and Worcestershire and stir to coat the meat, then add the tomatoes and their juices and stir to combine.
Prepare the rice in the microwave according to the directions on the package and then stir it into the meat mixture.
Stir 1/4 cup of the cheese blend into the mixture. Once that’s incorporated, remove the pan from the heat.
Arrange the peppers tightly in a baking dish. Stuff the peppers with the meat and rice mixture and top with sauteed onions. Pour the beef broth into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the peppers from the oven, top with remaining cheese and bake for 15 more minutes. Bump the temp up to broil for the last 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and brown on the top.
I like to serve mine with guacamole or sliced avocado, some plain, low-fat Greek yogurt (best sour cream substitute!) and hot sauce. I also spoon some of the cooking juices from the bottom of the baking pan over the top after I cut into the pepper – delicious!
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Yield: 5 stuffed peppers
Serving size: 1 stuffed pepper
Calorie count: approx. 350 calories per serving, before condiments
Dietary Info: Gluten Free