Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

One of my favorite things to make for dinner is stuffed peppers. Not only are they really easy, there are so many different ways to make them and so many different flavors to try. I also like that because they are filling, they really don’t require any sides to go with it.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients:
6-8 bell peppers (I prefer red and yellow. Try to get ones with flat bottoms so they will stand nicely while baking)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C quinoa
1/2 C brown rice
1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, or beef)
1 medium tomato, chopped
handful green onion, chopped
1/2 C water
5 tsp taco seasoning
handful spinach, chopped
handful cilantro, chopped
corn (I just used a Birds Eye steamer bag of southwestern corn, and it was great)
** cheese and avocado would also be great, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brown meat over medium high heat on stovetop.
Meanwhile, prepare quinoa and brown rice.
Once the meat is browned, drain liquid and add 1/2 C water and 5 tsp taco seasoning. Stir and let simmer 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and chopped onion to the meat.
After a few minutes, add the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir in to start melding the flavors.

Rinse the peppers and cut off the tops, taking out the seeds inside.
Scoop mixture into peppers and place in a baking dish.
Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes.

I serve it with sriracha for a little more heat.

I also really like Italian stuffed peppers: the spicier, the better.

Alternate Recipe:
Italian Stuffed Peppers
6 peppers (I prefer green for this style!)
1/2 C quinoa
1/2 C brown rice
1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tomato, diced
handful chopped mushrooms
1/2 C feta cheese
handful spinach, chopped
1 lb Italian sausage
pinch red pepper flakes

Have you tried other styles of stuffed peppers? I’d love to hear your recipes!