Stuffed Peppers with Ground Turkey and Rice

By ErinLayton

These are so flavorful and good for you. There are never leftovers in my house! There is always plenty of leftover filling, so I use 4 more peppers to make another batch a couple of days later!

Ingredients

• 4 large bell peppers (any color)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 T. EVOO plus more for drizzling
• 1- 1 1/4 lbs. ground turkey
• 6 plum tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 fresh red chile pepper
• 1 red or yellow onion
• 2 T. finely chopped fresh thyme
• 3 T. butter
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1 cup long grain white or brown rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400. Halve the peppers lengthwise and remove seeds and stems. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey with 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and discard skins. Grate the garlic, chile pepper and onion into the bowl and season with 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the thyme.
In the same pan used for the meat, heat the butter and 1 T. EVOO over med. heat. Add the orzo and toast until golden. Add half the tomato sauce and the rice and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stock and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook 17 to 18 minutes.
Combine the rice mixture, meat, and 3/4 cup Parmasean. Spoon the filling into the peppers and top with remaining tomato sauce. Bake 45 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet. Serve with remaining cheese.