Surprisingly, I had never made stuffed peppers before. After reading a lot of recipes, I knew I didn’t want to make the traditional ones with sauce on top. Mainly because I didn’t have most of the ingredients and I wasn’t going to be home much this week either. So rather than grocery shopping, I improvised.I loved the way the stuffed peppers came out. They were, to me, exactly the flavors that should be stuffed in a pepper, well, they were Mexican flavors, but that goes with peppers! In fact, I made so much of the stuffing that there was some left over after all the peppers were stuffed. However, this stuffing also makes an incredible DINNER. It has meat, rice, and veggies in it so you really couldn’t go wrong with the leftovers. John, of course, took it for lunch.

Also, I blanched the peppers because everywhere I read told me I should. When I explained this to my mom, who makes stuffed peppers now that it is just her and dad at home, she said she never had before. So, I’m going to leave the blanching out next time. Why waste the time if they still come out okay? I guess this is completely your choice.

Stuffed Peppers
Serves: 4
4 green peppers
1 onion
1 cup mushrooms
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 cup rice
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, cut the pepper tops off the peppers (about 1/2 inch down from the stem). Set the whole peppers aside and cut up the tops (except for the stems). Slice the onion and chop the mushrooms. In a medium size greased skillet, cook all the vegetables until the onion is translucent. Remove them and place them into a bowl. In the same skillet, cook the turkey until browned on all sides. Add the meat to the bowl. Make the rice according to the package directions. Combine the rice, turkey, and vegetables. Add the taco seasoning and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir well. Then, fill the peppers. Top them with the remaining cheddar cheese. Place the peppers in a greased baking pan and cover with tinfoil. Cook for an hour until the peppers are tender.

I can’t wait to share some great recipes with you next week. One is a recipe that I have been making for the past month and it will finally be ready to serve this weekend!

Until the next time my oven is on…