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Sweet Potato Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Turkey

Bell pepper halves pre roasted then filled with spiced ground turkey and diced sweet potato, baked under melted cheese. No rice, no quinoa.
Course Main Course
Keyword sweet potato stuffed bell peppers with ground turkey
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6 pepper halves

Ingredients

For the Peppers

  • 3 large bell peppers halved lengthwise through the stem and seeded
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil for rubbing the cut faces
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Filling

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey 93 percent lean
  • 1 medium sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch dice, about 2 cups
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes fire roasted if available

To Finish

  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

Prep the Peppers

  • Heat the oven to 400F. Halve the peppers lengthwise through the stem and pull out the seeds and white ribs.
  • Rub the cut faces with oil, season with salt, and roast cut side up in a baking dish for 15 minutes. Pour off any liquid that collects.

Make the Filling

  • Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced sweet potato and onion and cook 10 minutes, until tender at the edges and just catching color. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  • Push the vegetables to one side, add the turkey to the empty half, and leave it undisturbed 3 minutes to brown. Break it up and cook 4 more minutes until no pink remains.
  • Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir 30 seconds to bloom them in the fat.
  • Pour in the tomatoes, scrape the bottom of the pan, and simmer 5 minutes until thickened but still glossy. Taste and adjust the salt.

Fill and Bake

  • Spoon the filling into the roasted pepper halves, level with the rim of each pepper.
  • Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil, scatter the cheese over the tops, and bake 10 minutes uncovered until melted and browning at the edges.
  • Rest 5 minutes, then finish with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

  • No grain: half inch cubes of sweet potato are the bulk here. Rice and quinoa both go soft and dilute the spice.
  • Pre roast the halves: 15 minutes empty at 400F drives off the water that would otherwise pool under the filling.
  • 93 percent lean turkey: the 99 percent version dries out and turns chalky.
  • Cover for the first bake: the foil traps steam and keeps the filling moist.