If you are looking for a weeknight meal to make, try this Unstuffed Bell Peppers dish! This is an easy meal for you to make and have leftovers to last you a couple of days. Try it and let me know how it turns out for you!
Total Time: 60 minutes Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 50 mins Servings: 6
RECIPE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
Unstuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
2 Cups Rice, cooked and cooled to room temperature
2 Tablespoons Neutral Cooking Oil, for cooking meat
1 Pound Ground Turkey, or ground meat protein of choice
1 Pound Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, or sausage of choice, remove sausage from casing
1 Teaspoon All-purpose Seasoning, or to taste, for meat
Kosher Salt, to taste, for meat
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste, for meat
2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder, or to taste, for meat
2 Teaspoons Onion Powder, or to taste, for meat
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Orange Pepper, diced
½ Medium Yellow Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
8 ounces Tomato sauce, from a can
14.5 Ounces Diced Tomatoes, from a can
4 oz Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
Sprinkle of Smoked Paprika, for browning the cheese
Recommended Equipment
Baking Dish
Skillet
Notes
I recommend shredding the cheese yourself but you can use pre-shredded packaged cheese as well. For all-purpose seasoning, I used Lawry’s Reduced Sodium Seasoning Salt.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F°
2. For cooking the rice, cook according to the packaging. I recommend adding some spices and season to taste for the rice, as it will add additional flavor to the dish.
3. In a large skillet on medium-low heat, add in neutral cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add in diced onions and bell peppers with a pinch of salt. Sauté onions and peppers for 2 minutes, then add in minced garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute.
4. Next, turn the heat up to around medium-high and add in ground turkey and sausage into the skillet. I recommend removing the sausage from their casings. Break the meat apart and season with all-purpose seasoning, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to taste. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked.
5. Once the meat is fully cooked, reduce the heat to medium and add in tomato paste and diced tomatoes then mix in well. After mixing in tomato paste and diced tomatoes, add room temperature cooked rice and mix in rice well. Optionally, you can mix in 2 oz of pepper jack and 2 oz of Monterey jack cheese if you want it to be more cheesy.
6. Transfer all ingredients from the skillet to a baking dish. If your skillet is oven safe, you can keep all of the ingredients in the skillet. Sprinkle 4 oz of shredded pepper jack and 4 oz shredded Monterey jack cheese on top of the dish. Lightly sprinkle smoked paprika on top of the cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered or until the cheese becomes browned and bubbly.
7. Let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving and enjoy.