Awesome Southwest Stuffed Peppers

 

   If you can believe it, I've never made stuffed peppers. As a matter of fact I've never even EATEN stuffed peppers before! So I really had nothing to compare it to. When I told my husband I was making them for dinner, the first thing he told me was that his mom used to make them when he was a kid and they never tasted very good. (And his mom is a respectable home cook!) Everyone that thinks of stuffed peppers thinks three things: bland ground beef, boring rice and tomato sauce.

 

   Sounded like a challenge to me! I can pack this pepper with flavor, no sweat. And that's exactly what I did. I wanted to change things up a bit by using sweeter red peppers, and adding a southwest flare to it (and make it healthy too!). I packed it full of delicious goodies like black beans, ground turkey, sweet potato, cilantro, cheese, corn & jalapeno. Ummm...how can you go wrong with those ingredients??? The answer? You can't. I ditched the rice and packed them full of meat & veggies. I don't need any needless "fillers". If you want to make these vegetarian, you can substitute the meat with more veggies.

 

   The pepper cooked so fabulously and tasted like no pepper I ever had before! I think even if you don't particularly care for peppers, you would still really enjoy this dish. The pepper became almost buttery in texture. It retained it's sweetness with a savory note from soaking up all the juices from the stuffing. Needless to say, these are stuffed peppers my husband would be thrilled to have again. I think I've added a new dish to my repertoire!

 

 

Southwest Stuffed Peppers (makes 6 peppers)

 

1 lbs ground turkey (I use 7% fat)

1 heaping Tbs cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1-2 jalapenos (I like 2), seeded and diced

1 small sweet potato, peeled, 1/2 inch diced cubes

1 cup San Marzano crushed tomatoes (don't cheap out. There IS a huge difference in flavor. San  

      Marzanos worth the extra buck or two)

Kernels from 2 ears of corn

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup jack cheese, shredded

Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Olive oil

6 large red peppers

 

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Drizzle about 1-2 Tbs of olive oil and add the sweet potatoes, corn, jalapenos and onion. Season with salt & pepper. Sauté until just tender, about 8 min. Set potato mixture aside in a small bowl. In the same pan, add the ground turkey, brown it and drain the fat. (easiest to put a lid on the pan, set a bit off center and carefully tilt it in the sink to drain the fat.)

 

  Put the pan back on the heat and add the cumin, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for about 2 min. Add the tomatoes and let simmer until it starts to reduce the sauce a bit and concentrate flavors, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato mixture back into the pan. Add the black beans, cilantro, green onions and 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses. (reserving the other half for the topping).

 

 When the mixture is done, taste for seasoning adjustment! You will notice in most of my recipes that I season as I go. I season each component and when I combine them and taste again to make sure it's all on point. Seasoning with salt & pepper as you go is a great way to ensure your food is flavorful and you are building flavors.

 

  Next, prep the peppers. I tried it 2 different ways (as you can see from the pic below). I cut the sides off of some to make "boats", and the others I cut the tops off of the others. Make sure you scrape the seeds out of all of them. I liked the both preparations, but the presentation on the boats is really cute with the stem. Place them in a casserole dish.

 

 

 

Fill each pepper. Be generous. Let it mound over the top of the pepper. Add about a cup of water to the bottom of the pan (so the peppers don't stick to the pan & to add moisture). Bake for about 35-40 min.

 

 Top each pepper with the remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes to melt. Who wouldn't love melty cheese smothered all over this yummy goodness???

   I served mine with couscous (or you could do rice)....or whatever you want. We each ate 2 because they are so good! It was a great weeknight dinner.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Southwest Stuffed Peppers (makes 6 peppers)

 

1 lbs ground turkey (I use 7% fat)

1 heaping Tbs cumin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1-2 jalapenos (I like 2), seeded and diced

1 small sweet potato, peeled, 1/2 inch diced cubes

1 cup San Marzano crushed tomatoes (don't cheap out. There IS a huge difference in flavor. San  

      Marzanos worth the extra buck or two)

Kernels from 2 ears of corn

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

2 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup shredded cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup jack cheese, shredded

Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Olive oil

6 large red peppers

 

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Drizzle about 1-2 Tbs of olive oil and add the sweet potatoes, corn, jalapenos and onion. Season with salt & pepper. Sauté until just tender, about 8 min. Set potato mixture aside in a small bowl. In the same pan, add the ground turkey, brown it and drain the fat. (easiest to put a lid on the pan, set a bit off center and carefully tilt it in the sink to drain the fat.)

 

  Put the pan back on the heat and add the cumin, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for about 2 min. Add the tomatoes and let simmer until it starts to reduce the sauce a bit and concentrate flavors, about 5 minutes. Add sweet potato mixture back into the pan. Add the black beans, cilantro, green onions and 1/4 cup of each of the cheeses. (reserving the other half for the topping).

 

 When the mixture is done, taste for seasoning adjustment! You will notice in most of my recipes that I season as I go. I season each component and when I combine them and taste again to make sure it's all on point. Seasoning with salt & pepper as you go is a great way to ensure your food is flavorful and you are building flavors.

 

  Next, prep the peppers. I tried it 2 different ways. I cut the sides off of some to make "boats", and the others I cut the tops off of the others. Make sure you scrape the seeds out of all of them. I liked the both preparations, but the presentation on the boats is really cute with the stem. Place them in a casserole dish.

 

Fill each pepper. Be generous. Let it mound over the top of the pepper. Add about a cup of water to the bottom of the pan (so the peppers don't stick to the pan & to add moisture). Cover with foil and bake for about 35-40 min.

 

 Remove foil and top each pepper with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes to melt.

   I served mine with couscous (or you could do rice)....or whatever you want. We each ate 2 because they are so good! It was a great weeknight dinner.

 

Enjoy!