Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers

August 2, 2018

These easy stuffed peppers are made without rice, and instead filled with healthy ingredients like spiralized zucchini, protein-packed quinoa, and ground turkey sausage for a fast and super healthy all-in-one dinner everyone at the table will love.

The other day I read that the day of the family dinner plate being made up of a main protein (meat, chicken, fish), a side of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes), and then a side of veggies (carrots, broccoli, whatever is languishing in the fridge), is quickly losing ground as the best idea of what dinner should look like. I grew up on the same idea of that ratio and for many years followed suit.

But thanks to the popularity of meals in bowls, hearty salads served as the main meal, and more all-in-one serving options, the dinner plate has changed. And it’s not only in how we divvy out portion size, but the actual vessel our meal is served in, like using vitamin-packed vegetables such as sweet potatoes, every squash imaginable, and cabbage leaves, just to name a few.

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And at our house, there’s really no more versatile vegetable-to-bowl main ingredient than the almighty bell pepper.

Stuffed peppers have made plenty of appearances at our house, from our basic Stuffed Pepper Recipe, to Southwestern Stuffed Peppers, and probably the stuffed pepper recipe we make most often, my husband’s Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Stuffed Peppers.

This time around I wanted to make a protein-packed, veggie-loaded stuffed pepper dinner, but one that still had tons of flavor.

Goal scored.

see more: 30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook

How to Make Stuffed Peppers

One of my most used appliances/gadgets/kitchen helpers (besides my trusty husband behind the stove) is my Inspiralizer. This baby takes all the work out of chopping, dicing, and slicing, and makes vegetables hearty, I think mainly because of the cut, they simply take up more space in a dish but don’t overwhelm it flavor-wise.

Get your own Inspiralizer here.

My husband hasn’t quite converted to the idea that, Yes! Dinner meals CAN be served without any meat, seafood or poultry, and still be amazingly filling and delicious. So for these peppers I added ground turkey with garlic and fennel to give it that sausage flavor he adores.

If you can find it, turkey sausage in links can certainly be used here too, just be sure to remove the casings before cooking if using it ground. You could also chop the sausage to give it a chunkier bite.

Healthy Ingredients for Stuffed Peppers

I added more protein-power to this dish by substituting quinoa for the traditional rice. So many love quinoa as an option for gluten-free eating that scores as one of the highest plant-based proteins out there.

Other superfood ancient grain ideas to use in place of quinoa or rice are:

Farro
Kamut
Brown rice
Spelt
Wheat berries
Whole wheat acini de pepe pasta

If you’re curious about more recipes with ancient grains, check out my post 10 Grains You Should Be Cooking With Right Now, including 30 recipe links to get your dinner planning going.

see more: 31 Days of Summer Produce Recipes to Make Now

How to Cook Stuffed Peppers

We always par bake our peppers in the microwave before stuffing them so they cook a little quicker. A simple sprinkle of kosher salt to the interior of the peppers and then a 5 minute blast in the microwave pre-cooks these peppers and cuts your baking time in half.

Our favorite way to stuff the peppers is to cut the tops then stand them like little soldiers in a baking dish. I use a smaller baking pan so the peppers fit snugly, holding more of the ingredients without spilling out.

Thanks to the folks at Cooks Illustrated, I discovered four other ideas to keep your peppers upright as they bake:

Place the individual peppers in ramekins or mini coquettes when baking a smaller amount.
Place the peppers in a bundt cake pan so the peppers stand straight up.
Use a muffin tin so the sides hold the peppers in place.
Save the tops of the bell peppers that were cut off for stuffing and wedge them between the peppers in larger pans for stability.

see more: 31 Quick and Healthy Veggie Side Dishes in 30 Minutes or Less

More Recipes to Make With Bell Peppers

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

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