Stuffed Pepper Bake (Printable Version)

All the tasty goodness of stuffed peppers gets mixed into a cozy, cheesy dish with brown rice and ground turkey—easy and filling.

# What You'll Need:

→ Main

01 - 185 grams brown rice, uncooked, give it a quick rinse and drain
02 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
03 - 227 grams canned tomato sauce, no salt kind
04 - 425 grams canned fire roasted diced tomatoes, juices and all
05 - 480 milliliters water
06 - 1 green bell pepper, remove seeds and chop
07 - 1 red bell pepper, remove seeds and chop
08 - 340 grams frozen spinach, fully thawed and squeezed dry
09 - 3 garlic cloves, chopped small (about a spoonful)
10 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, ground
11 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
12 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
13 - 1 tablespoon Italian mix herbs
14 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
15 - 450 grams ground turkey, chicken, or lean beef
16 - 15 milliliters extra virgin olive oil

→ Cheese Topping

17 - 60 grams shredded pepper jack cheese (swap with Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or use more cheddar if you want it milder)
18 - 60 grams cheddar cheese, shredded

→ To Serve

19 - Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped up
20 - Dollop of Greek yogurt if you like

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Keep the lid on and let things mellow off the heat for 10 minutes so the cheese melts out and rice softens fully. If you love a crispy cheesy layer, uncover the pot and quickly broil it for a couple minutes but watch it closely! Dish it up hot with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and maybe some Greek yogurt if you’re into that.
02 - Take the pot off the heat and pop off the lid. Give it a taste and shake up the seasoning if it needs it. The mix may look a bit soupy—don’t worry, the rice keeps soaking up liquid. Scatter your cheeses on top and close the lid again.
03 - Turn up the heat until it bubbles, then drop it to a steady simmer. Put on the lid and let it go for 30 minutes. Uncover to stir (helps un-stick any rice at the bottom), cover again, and gently simmer another 10 to 15 minutes until rice is cooked through and tender.
04 - Toss in the thawed, squeezed spinach, breaking up any ice chunks. Throw in chopped red and green peppers, pour in water, tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and finally slide in the rinsed rice. Stir everything together so it’s mixed up well.
05 - Sprinkle in Italian herbs, cumin, salt, pepper, and finish with the minced garlic. Stir it all around and let it cook just until you can really smell the garlic—about a minute.
06 - Heat your olive oil in a heavy pot on medium-high. Toss in the ground meat and onions, smash up the meat as you go, and cook till it’s brown and the onions go soft—should take about 7 minutes.

# Additional Notes:

01 - Squeeze the spinach dry after thawing so your casserole isn't swimming in water.
02 - Stash leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days in the fridge or hit the freezer for 3 months.
03 - Don't worry if the brown rice keeps a little chew even when it's cooked—it’s normal.

Go Back