Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers

Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers makes a delicious dinner year-round, but especially when you’re looking for a lighter meal. This Cajun twist on a classic entree, which consists of rice, the trinity (of onion, celery and bell pepper) and ground turkey, is baked inside a bell pepper.

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I’m really bad about eating my vegetables.

There, I said it.

It’s not that I dislike veggies… but given the choice, I’d rather eat bread. Or baked goods. Or something sweet, healthy or unhealthy.

That being said, I know I need to eat my vegetables, especially now that I’ve got a babe who I’m currently nursing and who will look to me for food decisions in her future. I want her to love vegetables, and because of this, I’m making a noticeable effort in my daily life to eat more veggies so that when she notices what is on my plate, she’ll realize there’s a nice balance. And that I usually make a happy plate because said plate is properly portioned.

When I lived in the sorority house years ago–could we just stop for one second because I just realized I lived in the house more than TEN years ago?! Because holy cow, y’all, where has the time gone?–we all had a meal plan.

That meal plan included breakfast, lunch and dinner at the house on weekdays.

And once a week, the cooks usually prepared a rendition of stuffed bell peppers.

During that time of my life, I was on the fence about bell peppers and would eat my dinner, rather unimpressed, as I chatted with my sisters around the table. Or if I had a late class or an activity that evening, the meal was consumed in my room with my three roommates after the fact.

I never thought I’d make stuffed bell peppers at my own house because, well, I didn’t really like them.

That, of course, was up until a few weeks ago, when I realized that I could put JAMBALAYA (!!!) into a green bell pepper and call it a complete meal.

One pot wonder, for the win!

These Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers are the perfect way to combat this whole veggie apathy thing I’ve got going on these days. They’re chock full of the Creole Trinity–onions, green bell pepper and celery–and baked INSIDE a bell pepper.

Yes, this dish involves rice… but it’s brown rice, and there’s not too much of it… and ground turkey, though you could easily sub the turkey for chicken or beef if that’s more your speed. If you’re a vegetarian, omit the meat, and you’re good to go. (After all, there are plenty of veggies, so it’s not like you’re eating a dinner of rice.)

Basically, these Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers are a full meal INSIDE a giant vegetable, which makes me super happy. They’re also delicious.

Tips and Tricks for the BEST Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers

• Make sure to cook the filling in a large skillet or a Dutch oven.
• We always use leftover rice in this recipe. 🙂 You can cook yours fresh, though, if you don’t have any on hand in the fridge.
• Chopping is going to take the most time, so make sure that’s all done before you start cooking the ingredients!
• You could easily stuff red, yellow or orange bell peppers, too. We did green because that’s what we had on hand and what I like best.

Other Louisiana-centric Dishes We Love

• Turkey Sausage Jambalaya
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
• Louisiana Cajun Turkey Burgers with Étouffée Relish and Creamy Cajun Sauce
• Seafood Gumbo

Interested in making these beauties at home? Scroll down to learn how simple they are!

Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Turkey Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers makes a delicious dinner year-round, but especially when you’re looking for a lighter meal. This Cajun twist on a classic entree, which consists of rice, the trinity (of onion, celery and bell pepper) and ground turkey, is baked inside a bell pepper.

4.20 from 5 votes

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Servings 4 servings

Calories 469 kcal

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 bell peppers cored and cleaned
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 small white onions diced
• 4 celery stalks diced
• ½ large green bell pepper diced
• 16 oz. ground turkey
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Salt Free Creole Seasoning
• 1 ½ cups brown rice cooked

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Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery and diced bell pepper, cooking until soft.
• Remove the vegetables from the pan, and add the turkey to the skillet. Season with salt and Tony’s, breaking up with a wooden spoon, and cook until the turkey is browned and cooked through.
• Add the vegetables back into the pan, and measure in the cooked rice. Stir it into the other ingredients, cooking for a few more minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a large baking dish (or sheet pan) with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Season the whole bell peppers, which have been cored and cleaned, with salt and pepper. Set in the prepared baking dish.
• Scoop the jambalaya mix into the bell peppers. Repeat until all the bell peppers are full.
• Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Enjoy warm!

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 469kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 32gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1434mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7g

Keyword dinners, entree, healthier jambalaya, meals, rice dish, rice recipe, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed peppers

Course Entrees

Cuisine Cajun American

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