Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers
Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers (without rice)! These flavorful peppers will become a weekday dinner favorite. Filled with ground turkey, quinoa and veggies, they're a healthful addition to the mid-week menu.
Servings: 6 stuffed pepper halves
Ingredients
- 3 large green bell peppers seeded & sliced in half lengthwise
For Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pound ground turkey meat or ground beef, chicken or plant-based ground
- ½ cup carrot diced or chopped
- ½ cup broccoli florets chopped
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 cup cooked quinoa frozen will work fine, too
For Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon sriracha {or more if you like heat} optional
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For Garnish (Optional)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 scallion thinly sliced on the diagonal
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan or baking dish with foil. Place halved bell peppers on pan and set aside until ready to fill.*
- In a large, deep skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Add turkey meat (or desired protein) to skillet and sauté until no longer pink.
- Toss in carrots, broccoli and zucchini and cook for about 4-5 minutes until just starting to soften. Add quinoa and stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together soy sauce, water, sesame oil, sriracha, ginger, garlic and cornstarch {try to make sure there are no cornstarch lumps if possible}. Add to meat and vegetable mixture and stir until everything is well-coated and sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
- Spoon filling evenly among bell pepper halves.
- Place filled bell peppers in a baking dish with 3 tablespoons water (or broth) poured into the bottom. Cover with foil and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the peppers become slightly tender.
- Serve hot or warm.
Notes
- If you prefer your peppers to be more tender than crisp, you can either place them cut side down in a baking dish or baking pan and bake them for 10-15 minutes prior to filling, or give them a quick zap in the microwave before stuffing -- about 2-3 minutes should do. Otherwise, your bell peppers will likely be more tender-crisp at the end of the baking time.
- Peppers not standing or lying flat? Slice a tiny bit off the bottom to create a more stable surface and you'll eliminate any issues with tipping.
- Cut down prep time even more by using your favorite store-bought Asian sauce or marinade.