These Greek Healthy Turkey-Quinoa-Stuffed Bell Peppers are an easy, crowd-pleasing dinner packed with sunny flavors.
There are a lot of wonderful cuisines in the world, and everyone has their favorites. As for me, I find it hard to choose just one, as there are plenty of international recipes that I keep in rotation in my kitchen. Still, I often find myself coming back to Greek-inspired food. So if I had to pick favorites, it would probably be the garlicky, olive-filled, cucumber-and-tomato-packed dishes that define Greek cuisine.
I rarely pass up the opportunity to play with those flavors. Just recently, I made some incredible turkey meatballs in a fabulous garlic sauce with orzo pasta, but I bought way too much ground turkey. Since I don’t normally cook with ground turkey, I wondered what else I could make. Fortunately, the abundance of peppers in my garden gave me a brilliant idea!
This is what I came up with: a dish of quinoa-stuffed peppers that whisked me off to sunny Greece with its wonderful medley of bright flavors. Ground turkey, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and a deliciously briny olive tapenade join forces with fluffy quinoa and are then stuffed into halved bell peppers and baked to perfection in the oven. The crowning touch? A good sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese. Bliss!
Swaps to make these peppers sing
If quinoa is not your favorite, or you could do without ever seeing a sun-dried tomato again, worry not. I will help you navigate some handy (and tasty) swaps to make these stuffed bell peppers something you’ll want to eat again and again.
- If you don’t like quinoa, use brown or white rice, buckwheat, or your favorite grain. Just cook it according to package directions, subbing in chicken broth for water.
- If you don’t like ground turkey, use ground chicken, ground beef, seitan, TVP, or whatever meat or meat substitute you love best.
- Not a fan of olives? Try omitting the tapenade and using a bit of basil pesto instead.
How do I store leftovers?
Store leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze them in freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating them in the oven.
Serving suggestions
You can serve these healthy stuffed bell peppers with Homemade French Fries In The Air Fryer or a simple dish of Boiled Potatoes. A salad, such as this refreshing Mâche Salad or this crisp Tossed Salad will also help balance the rich flavors in this hearty dish. In the mood for dessert? Keep things light and bright with a delectable Mini Fruit Tart.
Ingredients
For The Peppers:
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 pound ground turkey 80% lean
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic minced
- 1 cup cucumber chopped
- ¼ cup red onion minced
- 2 tablespoons sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pepper
- 4 large green peppers halved and seeds/membrane removed
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled (omit for dairy-free)
For The Tapenade:
- ¾ cup pitted kalamata olives halved and tightly packed
- 3 tablespoons sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and packed
- 3 teaspoons capers drained
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- ¾ teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves loosely packed
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the broth and quinoa in a medium pot over high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the cooked quinoa into a large bowl.
- Add the ground turkey and garlic to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until no longer pink inside, draining excess fat and breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the meat mixture to the bowl with the quinoa. Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- Add the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, lemon juice, salt, and a pinch of black pepper to the bowl, and stir until well mixed.
- In a small food processor, combine all the tapenade ingredients except for the oregano and water. Blend until fairly smooth, stopping frequently to scrape down the sides. Once mixed, add in the oregano and continue processing until the leaves are broken down and the mixture is paste-like.
- With the food processor running, stream in the water until well mixed. Scoop the tapenade into the quinoa mixture, then stir until well mixed.
- Fill the pepper halves with the quinoa mixture, then place them into a large casserole dish, like a 9×13-inch pan.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 400℉, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the peppers are as soft as you like them.
- Sprinkle with feta cheese if desired, and serve warm.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
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