Easy Stuffed Pepper Casserole with Ground Turkey
A simple one-dish stuffed pepper casserole made with ground turkey, bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, quick-cooking rice, and melted mozzarella.
Equipment
- Large Skillet
- Spatula
- 9×13-inch Casserole Dish
- Aluminum Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 poundslean ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3-4 bell peppers any color
- 3 clovesfresh garlic
- 15 ouncesfire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices (1 can)
- 24 ouncesmarinara sauce (1 jar)
- 1 tablespoonItalian seasoning
- 2 teaspoonsgarlic powder
- 1 teaspoonkosher salt
- 1 teaspoonground black pepper
- 3 cupsfresh baby spinach
- 1 cupquick cooking rice (see note)
- 1 1/2 cupsshredded mozzarella cheese
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare ingredients: mince the 3 cloves garlic; core and chop the 3–4 bell peppers into bite-size pieces; have the 1 yellow onion finely diced and the 3 cups baby spinach ready.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the 2 pounds lean ground turkey and the finely diced onion. Cook, breaking the turkey apart with a spatula, until the turkey is mostly browned and the onion is softened, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add the chopped bell peppers and the minced garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers begin to soften and the turkey is no longer pink, about 4–6 more minutes.
- Stir in the 15 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices, the 24 ounces marinara sauce, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix until combined.
- Add the 3 cups fresh baby spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 2–3 minutes.
- Stir in the 1 cup quick-cooking rice until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch casserole dish and spread it into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the casserole.
- Cover the casserole loosely with aluminum foil (or a lid) and bake in the preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking 5–10 minutes more, until the edges are bubbly, the cheese is melted, and the rice is tender.
- Let the casserole rest 5 minutes, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve warm.
Notes
Lean ground turkey– Ground chicken or beef will work too!
Yellow onion– white, sweet or red can be substituted.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes– Fire-roasted tomatoes are more flavorful than the traditional variety, but if you’re in a pinch, regular diced tomatoes will work just fine. You can use regular or garlic flavor.
Bell peppers– Green, yellow, orange, red, or a combination.
Quick cooking rice– In order for the rice to cook through, it needs to be quick cooking, like Minute rice. If you want to use long grain rice, you can pre-cook the rice and add in 2.5 cups of cooked rice instead of uncooked quick cooking rice.
in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
in the freezer up to a month
Yellow onion– white, sweet or red can be substituted.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes– Fire-roasted tomatoes are more flavorful than the traditional variety, but if you’re in a pinch, regular diced tomatoes will work just fine. You can use regular or garlic flavor.
Bell peppers– Green, yellow, orange, red, or a combination.
Quick cooking rice– In order for the rice to cook through, it needs to be quick cooking, like Minute rice. If you want to use long grain rice, you can pre-cook the rice and add in 2.5 cups of cooked rice instead of uncooked quick cooking rice.
in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
in the freezer up to a month