Stuffed Pepper Casserole

3.94 from 182 votes

This stuffed pepper casserole has all the delicious flavors of traditional stuffed peppers but is made in one pot for an easy weeknight meal. Loaded with ground turkey, brown rice, veggies, spices and topped with cheese. It's hearty, delicious and packed with flavor.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 25

Total Time1 35

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: stuffed pepper casserole

Servings:

Author: Brittany Mullins

Ingredients

1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 ½ Tablespoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 cups fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
2 large green bell peppers diced (any color bell pepper will work)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice (I used Lundberg Farm long grain brown rice)
1 cup shredded cheese I used cheddar
for serving: chopped fresh parsley optional

Instructions

In a Dutch oven or large deep skillet, heat oil on medium. Add the ground turkey, onion and garlic and break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until turkey is browned, cooked through and the onion is soft and translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Give the mixture a stir and add in the spinach, bell peppers, vegetable broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tamari and rice. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir. Then recover and continue to simmer until the rice is tender, about 30 additional minutes. Time will depend on the type of rice you use. Brown rice took us a total of 60 minutes and white rice took us 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat, uncover and stir. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
Sprinkle cheese over the top, cover with lid and let sit off the heat for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the rice is fully tender.
Serve warm and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if preferred.

Notes

Brown rice: Feel free to use white rice instead of brown if you prefer. If you use white rice it'll cook up in 20 minutes! If you're looking for a low-carb option, you can use cauliflower rice. The cooking time will be shorter if you use cauliflower rice so just keep an eye on it. When all of the vegetables are tender, it's time to enjoy!
Vegetarian: To make this recipe vegetarian, you can swap the turkey for beans, tempeh or crumbled tofu.
Dairy-free: Skip the cheese to make this dairy-free. It will still be delicious!
Slow cooker: You can make this dish in the slower cooker if you prefer! See my notes above for how to make it in the slow cooker!

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