A light, yet filling weeknight dinner, these healthy Turkey, Farro and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers are filled to the brim with lean seasoned ground turkey, nutty farro, earthy mushrooms and plenty of parmesan- then finished with thin slices of fresh mozzarella.
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The perfect healthy stuffed peppers
I'm a firm believe that you can stuff a pepper with pretty much anything you want. So for this recipe, I went ahead and stuffed them with seasoned lean ground turkey, baby bella mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, farro, and parmesan cheese.
A few extra steps make these turkey stuffed peppers extra delicious!
To up the flavor ante, I broiled the peppers prior to stuffing them, and topped each pepper with a slice of super fresh mozzarella cheese. Broiling the peppers first also makes for a great texture, and reduces the time on the oven when you stuff them.
Looking for more great dinner recipes?
Why not try my 5 Cheese Sausage and Spinach Lasagna, Sunday Sauce with Bracciole, Meatballs and Sausage, Red Pepper Cream Sauce, One Pot Sausage Artichoke Pasta Bake, or Cheese Tortellini with Roasted Tomato and Sausage Cream Sauce!
Making the ground turkey stuffed peppers
This recipe comes together pretty quickly, as you can simultaneously work on the ingredients to get everything ready faster.
To make these Turkey, Farro and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers, you'll start by getting your farro cooking, then pop the peppers under the broiler, and then get started on the filling. By the time your peppers are broiled, you'll be nearly finished cooking the grains/filling- giving the peppers just enough time to rest and cool enough to be filled. It's all about timing and prep when you're trying to get dinner on the table quickly.
Filling and stuffing the bell peppers
When your bell peppers are broiled and cool enough to touch, stuff them with the ground turkey and farro mixture. Make sure to mound and press the filling into the peppers so that it stays in place.
Once each pepper is stuffed, top each with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese, Bake them for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is melty and gooey. Next up, an optional (but highly recommended step) is to pop the peppers under your oven's broiled for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and browned. I never skip this step. Brown cheese is my jam.
What is Farro?
Farro is an ancient grain, loaded with vitamins and nutty flavor. It has a super satisfying chew, and has really become a staple of my pantry in the last few years.
I like to use the semi-pearled variety, as it is significantly easier to cook. I usually pick mine up when I stock up at Trader Joe's, but I've also gotten great Farro from Whole Foods and Amazon.
You could substitute your favorite rice or grain for the farro in these ground turkey stuffed bell peppers, but I love the flavor and texture farro imparts on this dish.
Turkey, Farro and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- ½ cup farro or barley*
- 4 medium bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and whites removed
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, rough chopped into smaller ¼" pieces
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella (ball), divided into 8 thin slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dry basil
- ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Get your farro or barley cooking- To a small saucepan, add 2 cups of water with one chicken bouillon packet or cube and bring to a boil. Add farro or barley, reduce heat to low, cover and cook 25-30 minutes, or until grain is soft, and most of the liquid is evaporated. 2. While your farro or barley cooks, broil your peppers. Spray a broiler safe baking dish with cooking spray and pan broil the peppers on high, cut side down for 15 minutes (checking occasionally to avoid burning), or until well-charred/browned. Once broiled, flip peppers over and allow to cool enough to handle before filling. Once peppers are broiled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 3. While your peppers are broiling and your farro or barley is cooking, start the filling. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add turkey. Salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook, breaking the meat up as you go with a wooden spoon or spatula, until all meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes .Reduce heat to medium-low, add chopped mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are reduced in size and most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 mins. Reduce heat to low and add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, dry basil and dry thyme, and stir to combine. Turn off heat and add one cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and hot cooked farro or barley, and toss to combine. 4. Fill the peppers with the farro/turkey mixture, top each pepper with a slice of mozzarella and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 5. Optional (but yummy!): Broil finished peppers for 1-2 mins to brown the cheese. Serve hot, and top with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes/Substitutions:
Farro has a great, nutty flavor to it, which really adds great flavor to this dish, but barley also works really well for these!
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