This is a great meal prep, friends! I had high hopes and it came out even better than I expected. This all started last week when I went to a local restaurant and got the stuffed poblano pepper. It was…just okay. So, I decided to honor my craving with my meal prep this week and I’m so glad I did.
These were pretty easy and I made the filling all in one pot which made clean up a breeze! Let’s look at the components:
- the peppers – I used red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. One thing you’ll notice immediately is that I cut mine in half instead of filling it up the traditional way. Honestly, I always think that the whole pepper is just too much and I can never finish it, so this works perfectly for me! if you want to use whole peppers, go for it, it’ll still work perfectly
- the seasoning – I kept things simple and used a packet of taco seasoning, but you can use whatever you’d like! just be sure to make sure it’s seasoned enough, this dish can handle a lot of spices
- the veggies – I put extra veg in the form of zucchini and canned tomatoes into my filling because I like it! Frozen spinach would also be so tasty. You could roast the zucchini separately, but honestly…I didn’t want to dirty another pan so I didn’t!
- the cheese – technically optional but highly suggested. use whatever you’ve got! I always have pepperjack cheese so that’s what I threw in
- the meat – I had ground turkey so that’s what I used, but any ground meat would be great here. just make sure you get a really good sear on it before breaking it up
That’s it! These are so good, I’m already looking forward to my lunches all week 🙂
Stuffed Peppers
makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 zucchini
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 4 oz pepperjack cheese, shreaded
- 3 bell peppers
How to do it
- prep: preheat your oven to 375*. dice the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cut the zucchini into 1/2″ pieces. prep the peppers by cutting them in half through the stem and removing the stem and ribs. set aside
- cook the aromatics: in a dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. add the onion and jalapeno and cook until the onion is almost translucent. add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes
- brown the meat: push the veggies to the edges of the pot and add the ground turkey to the pot. squish it down so as much of it makes contact with the bottom of the pot as possible. cook for 5-6 minutes or until there’s a nice golden brown sear on the meat. use a wooden spoon to break the meat up into small pieces and cook until it’s fully cooked
- add the extras and simmer: in a small bowl, combine the taco seasoning with 1/2 cup of water. add that along with the zucchini, quinoa, and diced tomatoes to the pot. cover and simmer until the quinoa is fully cooked, 15-20 minutes
- start the peppers: toss the prepped peppers with 2 tbsp olive oil. place on a baking dish cut side up and bake while the quinoa cooks
- fill and bake: after 15-20 minutes, remove the peppers from the oven and remove any liquid that’s come out of them. taste the filling and ensure the quinoa is fully cooked and adjust the seasoning to your liking. divide half of the cheese evenly into the bottom of the peppers then stuff with the filling. top with the remaining cheese and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the peppers are as done as you want them to be
- enjoy: serve immediately with a salad, if desired, or let cool completely and re-heat in the microwave for a perfect meal prep!