Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage}

These beautiful mini-Sweet Peppers were smiling at me as I strolled through the produce isle.  How could I resist their vibrant ‘happy’ colors?  When it’s January, and the tornado sirens are echoing in the distance and torrential rains are beating on the window, a little ray of sunshine for dinner seemed just right.  So we kicked up our recipe with a little spice and created Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage}.

For a nice change, I chose to put a Southwest twist on classic stuffed peppers.  I incorporated leaner ground turkey and Italian turkey sausage with this year’s super-food Quinoa in place of rice.  Stuffed Peppers are another wonderful dish that allows for creativity and a chance to use up some existing fridge/pantry ingredients.

So while I’m posting this as a “recipe” the key to great stuffed peppers is the stuff.  Combine a variety of veggies, ground meat (or not), beans are wonderful, whole grains are fabulous, lots of punchy spice flavors, a fresh herb or two, saute, fill, and bake.  These Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage} also make a wonderful appetizer.  I picked them up and ate them like I would a jalapeno popper.  I sure did.

Before stuffing the pepper, give them a little dip in a pool of salted boiling water …4-5 minutes will soften them just enough without turning them into mush.  Drain them on paper towels and then fill them full of goodness.  We sprinkled a little grated cheese on top and baked them for 30 minutes until they looked like this.  The recipe below is enough to stuff a 2 lb. bag of peppers which will yield a BIG batch of Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Spicy Turkey Sausage}.  We enjoyed them for dinner last night, lunch today, and was still able to {Share the Love} at the office.

Southwest Stuffed mini-Sweet Peppers {with Quinoa & Italian Turkey Sausage}

Libby with Lemony Thyme, inspired by Real Simple

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Appetizer, Entree

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 2 lb. bag baby sweet peppers
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
• 2 Jennie-O Hot Italian sausages optional
• 1 cup uncooked Quinoa or rice or couscous, about 2 1/2 cups cooked
• 1 onion diced
• 1 carrot shredded
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 scallions thin sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or more according to taste
• 1 tsp. salt adjust according to taste
• 1 3 oz. can diced mild green chilies
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheese shredded (such as Monteray Jack, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar), plus 1/2 cup for topping
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For mini-Peppers, slice one side off and remove seeds. Blanch in large pot of salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes until just slightly softened. Remove from water and drain on paper towels.
• Add quinoa, onion, and carrot to 2 cups boiling water. Stir and reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 15 – 20 minutes, stirring at 5 minute intervals until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Add additional liquid ¼ cup at a time if necessary.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil and brown meat. Add garlic, scallions, and seasoning and cook for an additional minute. Stir in chilies, corn and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate. Remove mixture from heat and stir in cooked quinoa, 1 cup shredded cheese, and fresh cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Then fill peppers with mixture and arrange in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake for about 30 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro leaves.

Other recipes you might enjoy:

Herb Butter Whole Roasted Chicken {with Basil Butter} Shredded Pork Tacos {with Chimichurri Sauce}