This simple stuffed pepper casserole has all of the flavors of stuffed bell peppers baked right into a hearty one-pot meal. It’s made with tender rice, juicy floor turkey, and loads of veggies!
For those who’re a fan of comforting casseroles, you’ll additionally love my floor beef casserole and Reuben casserole—each are full of daring flavors and straightforward to make for a crowd.
This simple recipe is brimming with veggies, floor turkey, juicy tomatoes, rice, and cheese. Mainly, all of the components and flavors present in a traditional stuffed pepper served in a scrumptious one-pot casserole. Subsequent to turkey meatballs, this recipe is certainly one of my favourite methods to make use of floor turkey for dinner.
Let’s face it—some nights name for a tidy, knife-and-fork stuffed pepper scenario, and different nights? Properly, life occurs, and that’s the place this casserole shines. Consider it as stuffed peppers, simplified. No scooping, no stuffing, simply hearty, comforting flavors baked collectively in a single dish. It’s like my jambalaya stuffed peppers or quinoa stuffed peppers, however even simpler! And for these additional chaotic days, my crockpot stuffed peppers have you ever lined.
Why You’ll Love This Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- One-pot. Make this tacky stuffed pepper casserole on the stovetop multi functional pan utilizing a big skillet or Dutch oven. This deconstructed model is ideal for last-minute cooks who nonetheless need a dinner that feels home made, satisfying, and full of taste.
- Recent & flavorful. You’ll use a couple of pantry staples, plus recent peppers, veggies, rice, and protein to show a traditional dish into this hearty all-in-one dinner.
- Versatile. Maintain it gentle, make it spicy, and adapt components like meats and veggies to fit your style or dietary wants.
Recipe Elements
Listed here are a number of the key components together with my notes. Don’t overlook to scroll to the recipe card for the total ingredient record.
- Onion and Bell Peppers – I take advantage of a yellow onion, plus each pink and inexperienced peppers. White onion additionally works.
- Lean Floor Turkey – You possibly can swap turkey for floor hen or lean floor beef.
- Marinara Sauce – Select your favourite jarred marinara sauce from the shop.
- Hen Inventory – Or hen broth, however you can too use vegetable inventory.
- Rice – Lengthy-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine rice, works finest.
- Cheese – I prime this casserole with an Italian cheese mix, however you should utilize any selection or mixture of grated melty cheese you’d like. Sharp cheddar and Pepper Jack, or milder Monterey Jack and mozzarella are additionally good selections.
How you can Make Stuffed Pepper Casserole
Seize a big, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven with a lid. Then, it’s a matter of bringing the components collectively. Right here’s a fast how-to. Scroll right down to the recipe card for extra detailed directions.
- Sauté the greens. Add the onions and bell peppers to the pot with a little bit of oil and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté till the veggies have softened, then stir within the garlic.
- Brown the turkey. Add the bottom turkey, breaking it up because it browns. Don’t overlook an additional seasoning of salt and black pepper.
- Make the sauce. Stir in your marinara sauce and tomatoes, together with the hen inventory and herbs. Warmth the sauce after which go away it to simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Cook dinner the rice. Stir within the rice and let it cook dinner, lined, till the rice grains are tender.
- Soften the cheese. Take the pot off the warmth, carry the lid, and sprinkle your shredded cheese mix in a good layer over prime of the casserole. Afterward, shut the lid once more and let the casserole sit whereas the cheese melts.
- Serve. Garnish your stuffed pepper casserole with recent chopped parsley and dig in.
Ideas & Variation Concepts
- Hearth-roasted tomatoes. I like how these add additional taste, however they aren’t 100% obligatory. One other good choice is a can of Rotel, or you should utilize a can of normal diced tomatoes.
- Let the casserole relaxation. Not solely does resting give the cheese sufficient time to soften, nevertheless it additionally lets the flavors come collectively and makes the casserole simpler to serve.
- Use one other protein. Make this casserole with any kind of floor meat you’d like, together with floor hen, floor beef, or floor sausage. For those who use floor beef, I like to recommend utilizing lean meat.
- Make it meatless. For those who’d wish to make this a vegetarian casserole, use 2 cans of beans or chickpeas.
- Add extra greens and greens. Good choices are child spinach, diced zucchini like in my beef zucchini casserole, mushrooms, chopped kale, and celery.
- Worcestershire sauce. You possibly can add a small splash for some wealthy umami taste.
- Seasonings. For a unique taste profile, attempt flavoring this casserole with an herb and seasoning mix, like taco seasoning or Cajun spice.
- Cheese. As an alternative of utilizing an Italian cheese mix on prime you might additionally use a shredded Mexican cheese mix or cheddar cheese.
Serving Solutions
Among the finest issues about this stuffed pepper casserole recipe is that it’s principally a whole meal by itself. However if you wish to serve one thing on the facet, you may make some fluffy dinner rolls or a easy salad. I like this avocado salad and this broccoli cauliflower salad.
For a refreshing distinction, pair it with my home made frosted lemonade or white sangria, and end the meal with one thing candy like my apple oatmeal cookies or peach cobbler for dessert.
Can I Make This Casserole Forward of Time?
You possibly can put together the entire casserole forward and retailer it (see under), or you may get the bottom turkey and veggie combination prepared prematurely. After the veggies are softened and the turkey is browned, retailer the combination hermetic for 1-2 days, or freeze it for as much as 3 months. If you’re prepared to complete the casserole, warmth the combination on the range and proceed with the recipe as directed.
How you can Retailer and Reheat Extras
- Fridge: Retailer any leftover casserole hermetic within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
- Reheat: Reheat single servings within the microwave till scorching all through.
- Freezer: This casserole freezes effectively. Retailer leftovers in an hermetic, freezer-safe container and freeze them for as much as 3 months. Defrost the casserole within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
Extra Floor Turkey Recipes
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Sauté the greens. Warmth the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed 10 to 12-inch rimmed pan or saucepan over medium warmth. Add the onions and bell peppers, season with salt, and sauté for 4 minutes or till the onion is translucent and the bell peppers have softened. Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds or till fragrant.
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Brown the turkey. Add the turkey to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook dinner it for about 7 to eight minutes or till browned, breaking it up as you go.
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Make the sauce. Stir within the marinara sauce, tomatoes, hen inventory, recent parsley, and oregano. Deliver the sauce to a boil after which cut back the warmth to low. Enable the sauce to simmer for five minutes.
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Cook dinner the rice. Stir within the rice, put a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan, and let the rice cook dinner for 20 minutes or till tender.
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Soften the cheese. Flip the warmth off. Take away the lid, scatter the cheese evenly over the combination, return the lid to the saucepan, and let stand for five minutes or till the cheese has melted.
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Serve. Garnish the stuffed pepper casserole with recent parsley and serve with a inexperienced salad.
Serving: 2cups | Energy: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 36g | Fats: 13g | Saturated Fats: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g | Monounsaturated Fats: 6g | Trans Fats: 0.02g | Ldl cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 723mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1648IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 3mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might fluctuate in keeping with the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed information.