These Turkey stuffed peppers with Quinoa are the perfect excuse for eating up all those holiday leftovers. Pop these peppers in the oven after you have stuffed them silly with turkey, leftover dressing, some fluffy quinoa, and spices. Don't forget to top with melty cheese and sprinkle with rosemary or thyme!
After spilling about the Thanksgiving leftovers turkey nachos, I still had quite a bit of turkey and extras to demolish.
I put my thinking cap on (actually, I was just craving Stuffed Bell Peppers) and decided to try combining my leftovers into my original recipe of Spicy Stuffed Peppers in hopes of a tasty combination. I don't like to brag or anything okay, maybe a little!) .... but it worked out!
What I decided on doing was to ground up my turkey meat, and combine that with some of the leftover dressing. I then added in some freshly cooked quinoa, the same seasonings as my Bell Pepper Recipe calls for, and then deliciousness happened after a few minutes in the oven.
This is such an easy and tasty way to use up those leftovers that will be hanging around the house next Friday!
Table of Contents
Why Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa?
Both turkey and quinoa are packed full of healthy benefits, like that they are low fat and protein-packed!
If your family is anything like mine, your family is going to make way too much for that Holiday dinner. After a day or two o leftovers your family likely gets tired of eating the same thing. Why not spice it up and use up your Thanksgiving leftovers in a fun new delicious way?
Turkey Stuffed Pepper Ingredients:
- Bell peppers
- Turkey leftovers, ground in food processor
- Yellow onion, chopped
- Holiday dressing leftovers
- Minced garlic
- Cooked quinoa or brown rice
- Black pepper
- Gluten-free creole seasoning
- Shredded parmesan cheese
- Fresh thyme or rosemary for garnish
How to make Turkey Stuffed Peppers?
- Preheat your oven to 400*F. Cut off the top of 4 bell peppers (clean out the inside and de-seed) and dice up the 5th pepper. Set aside the diced pepper.
- In a square baking dish, add ½ inch of water to the bottom and then add the 4 bell peppers. Place this in the oven to bake (this helps turn the peppers into a tender crispy pepper versus and crispy-crispy pepper!) while you are preparing the turkey/quinoa mix.
- Heat the turkey in a large skillet until cooked thoroughly (may need a tablespoon of oil for this step). Add the onions and diced bell pepper just before the turkey is fully cooked and allow to cook until the veggies start to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the rice well and then add in creole seasoning.
- Remove from heat. Place the rice mixture evenly into the four bell peppers. Top each pepper with 1 tablespoon of cheese and garnish with a bit of thyme. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesy tops turn golden brown. Enjoy!
How can I make my turkey stuffed bell peppers look fancy?
You certainly can make these stuffed peppers pop on your dinner table by trying a few things to make them all kinds of fancy-looking!
- Sprinkle fresh thyme or rosemary leaves on the very top of each pepper.
- Drizzle a zigzag of sriracha sauce for a bright colorful contrast and delicious hint of heat!
- Toss some cheese crumbles on the top to add in more texture and even more creamy CHEESE!
Want more leftover turkey recipe ideas?
Well here you go!
- Slow Cooker White Turkey Chili
- Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- Healthy Leftover Turkey Lemon Garlic Soup
- Turkey Teriyaki Stir-Fry
- Turkey Nachos
- Paleo Leftover Turkey Sweet Potato Frittata
Turkey Peppers note:
And I am sure I will get a question on this so I will address it now.... The recipe makes 4 stuffed bell peppers, but the pictures only show 3. Well, girl got hungry before the pictures were taken. I can't even apologize about it. It was the best option at the time and it was so tasty.
Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa
These Turkey stuffed peppers with Quinoa are the perfect excuse for eating up all those holiday leftovers. Pop these peppers in the oven after you have stuffed them silly with turkey, leftover dressing, some fluffy quinoa, and spices. Don’t forget to top with melty cheese and sprinkle with rosemary or thyme!
Ingredients
- 5 medium bell peppers
- 2 cups turkey leftovers, ground in food processor
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup dressing leftovers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa or brown rice
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free creole seasoning
- 4 tablespoon parmesan, shredded
- rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400*F.
- Cut off the top of 4 bell peppers (clean out the inside and de-seed) and dice up the 5th pepper. Set aside the diced pepper.
- In a square baking dish, add ½ inch of water to the bottom and then add the 4 bell peppers. Place this in the oven to bake (this helps turn the peppers into a tender crispy pepper versus and crispy-crispy pepper!) while you are preparing the turkey/rice mix.
- Heat the turkey in a large skillet until cooked thoroughly (may need a tablespoon of oil for this step). Add the onions and diced bell pepper just before the turkey is fully heated and allow to cook until the veggies start to soften.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Mix in the rice well and then add in creole seasoning.
- Remove from heat. Place the rice mixture evenly into the four bell peppers. Top each pepper with 1 tablespoon of cheese and garnish with a bit of rosemary. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesy tops turn golden brown. Enjoy it messy!
I love making Stuffed Peppers, but more importantly, I love using quinoa! This recipe looks so flavorful and delish!
I love stuffed peppers but I haven't them with quinoa just yet. Such a great idea! And thank you - I will make sure to not forget to top these babies with some melted cheese! 🙂
Stuffed peppers always go down a treat in my house and these look SO good!
Love all the flavors in this dish! I will definitely be adding this to my dinner line up for the week; looks amazing!
Growing up I did not like peppers, at all. Now, I'm constantly trying to find new ways to use them! Can't wait to try this recipe - we eat a ton of turkey but I've never tried this before!
No need to apologize for eating one of those delicious stuffed peppers!! I would have done the same thing!
Stuffed bell peppers are my thing, I could never say no to stuffed bell peppers, the ultimate comfort food for me. Wish I could print a real version straight out of my computer hehehe
You really can't go wrong with stuffed peppers.... ever! 🙂
Stuffed peppers is a recipe I've been meaning to try for a while now! Thanks for sharing!
http://www.dressed2dnines.com
Oh then this is a yummy and easy stuffed pepper recipe to start with! 🙂
Love the crunch you got on top here. Feel free to send a box over to me in Texas 🙂
Haha! Just let me know the address to ship 'em to! Haha! 🙂