Mexican Stuffed Peppers

There were so many green peppers at the farmer's market, I felt I just had to make stuffed peppers this week. I usually go with Greek stuffed peppers, but I wanted to try something new and healthy. A great little app I downloaded, Ziplist, recommended this gem of a recipe from an amazing blog, Skinnytaste. I made a few tweaks, and it was delicious. The best part of this recipe is you can make the filling the night before and bake the peppers the next day.

Side note - you have to download Ziplist. It is a grocery list app that turns ingredient lists from your recipes into actual grocery lists and even suggests recipes you'd like based on your shopping history. It organizes everything into aisles, so you never have to backtrack when you forgot tomato sauce and are already in the deli! Beyond that, the app lets you check things off your list so you can see how many items still need to make it into your cart. 

mexican turkey stuffed peppers

Ingredients:

filling

1 T olive oil

3/4 lb 99% lean ground turkey

3/4 C black beans, drained & rinsed

3/4 C frozen corn kernels

1 hot serrano, jalapeño, or banana pepper, diced (I used a banana pepper)

1 large tomato, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 C chopped onion

2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

1 t cumin

1 t chili powder

salt

1/3 C water

optional - scallions, sour cream, avocado

peppers

3 green or red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1/3 C reduced sodium, fat free chicken broth or water

9 T grated Monterey Jack Cheese, reduced fat if available

Directions:

filling

heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

add turkey and cook through, breaking up with a spoon.

season with salt.

add black beans, diced pepper, tomato, garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder. 

add 1/3 C water and mix.

lower heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

remove lid, add corn, and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.

if you are making this the night before, transfer mixture to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.

cover with saran wrap or put in tupperware and refrigerate. 

peppers

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

remove meat from refrigerator if you made it the night before.

place peppers on a baking dish.

spoon filling into peppers.

pour chicken broth or water into dish.

cover with aluminum foil.

bake 30 - 35 minutes.

remove and discard foil.

sprinkle cheese on peppers.

bake uncovered for 5 minutes. 

serve with a sprinkle of scallions, a dollop of sour cream, or some avocado (optional).

you can make the filling the day before and refrigerate (make your live a bit easier)

perfect plate

tips & extras

peppers - You can use red or green or any pepper you have available. I like the flavor of green peppers when they're stuffed

filling - If you hate turkey, use ground beef. 

cheese - I used Monterey Jack, but white cheddar or something similar would also work. 

heat - Add the jalapeño seeds and some cayenne pepper if you want to spice this up a bit.

serving size - If you want to make this for 4 people, add another pepper and up the turkey to a full pound. I'd add a bit more onion and cheese, but the rest of the ingredients should be ok.  I was good with 2 peppers, my husband went for 3. 

Stuffed Green Peppers

When I was on vaca in Greece this summer, I ordered stuffed peppers or tomatoes whenever they were on a menu. Although I love tomatoes, I think peppers add more flavor.  This was my grandma (Yiayia) Effie's recipe. 


Ingredients:
6 green peppers
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 T butter
1/2 T olive oil
1 can tomato sauce
1 can water
4 T chopped parsley or 2 T dried
4 T chopped mint or 2 T dried
1 T dried oregano
salt & pepper
1/2 cup white rice
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 t cinnamon 


Directions:
Cut off tops of peppers & discard seeds & fiber. Rinse in cold water.
Heat olive oil & butter in pan over medium heat. 
Add onion & cook for 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add meat & cook until brown (break up meat while cooking).
Add 1/2 can tomato sauce, 1/2 can water, parsley, mint, oregano, salt & pepper, cinnamon, & rice.
Stir and lower heat. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
Mix 1/2 can tomato sauce & 1/2 can water. Pour in dish.
Fill peppers in dish. 
Drizzle with olive oil.
Cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hr & 20 min.

Tips & Extras


Ground beef - My grandmother only used ground chuck. I try to go for 90/10 in an attempt to be healthy. You can even mix chuck with sirloin for a little bit of both worlds.


Cinnamon - The original recipe calls for 1 t of cinnamon. That might be a bit much for a non-greek (my husband), so add to your taste. 


Extra - If you're feeling adventurous, you can add some crumbled feta cheese to the tops of the peppers. My grandfather (Pappou) used to like them this way. 


Sauce - The sauce takes on all of the flavors from the peppers. You can serve it with the peppers or toss it on some spaghetti for an extra meal. If you use a bigger pan, you can double the juice and add some potatoes to the pan and cook. 


Serve with a big chunk of bread.