Stuffed Pepper Casserole
This is just like Stuffed Peppers, but a little bit quicker! And I feel like it was easier to get a better protein-to-pepper ratio :)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 pounds ground turkey, ground chicken, or lean ground beef (once again, an easy way to meal prep and you can freeze extras as back-up! Adjust if you want to make less. This doesn’t last us very long!)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
6 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
9 cloves garlic, minced
About 4 heaping cups of fresh spinach leaves
3 red bell peppers, diced
2 cups water
2 cans 15-ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
1 8-ounce can no salt added tomato sauce
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 cups uncooked brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, plus extra for serving
For serving: fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Instructions:
In a Dutch oven or similar deep, sturdy pot, heat the oil over medium-high. *Note: I love using the Ninja Foodi on saute mode for dishes like this, but not required!
Add the turkey and onion. Break the meat into small pieces. Cook and stir until it is browned and fully cooked, and the onions are tender, about 7 minutes.
Add the Italian seasoning, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the spinach and stir to combine.
Then add the red bell peppers, water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, and rice. Stir to combine evenly.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir, scraping up any rice that is beginning to stick. If needed, re-cover and continue to simmer until the rice is tender, about 10 to 15 additional minutes. Depending on your kitchen appliance and temperature, you may not need this additional time.
Remove the pot from the heat. Uncover and stir. After stirring, most of the liquid should be gone. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. If it’s still a little liquidy, it will continue to thicken, and the liquid will further absorb as it sits.
Mix in the cheese. Let sit off the heat for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the rice is tender. Re-cover if needed.
Serve warm and top with fresh cilantro or parsley and shredded cheese (pepper jack if you want to add more spice or additional cheddar. We prefer the pepper jack and the kids prefer the cheddar!)
Her second helping :)
