Stuffed Pepper Casserole – Healthy Easy Meal
Posted: 11/02/2015
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This healthy stuffed pepper casserole with cheddar is a great go-to meal for nights when you don’t really feel like cooking. It’s easy to make, hearty, and tastes great!
This might not be the prettiest meal in the world, but it is one of my absolute go-to meals. It’s a perfect meal: easy, nutritious, and satisfying.
You can prepare the casserole in about 15 minutes, pop it in the oven, and let it bake. It needs to bake for at least an hour and a half – which just so happens to be the time where I’m starting to go crazy, the kids are getting ornery, and I’m staring at the clock waiting for my husband to get home (aka the witching hour!).
That might sound like a long baking time but the beauty of this is that you can do anything you want while it bakes. Make a side salad. Sit down, relax! Catch up on emails. Play with your kids. Do some yard work. Whatever you want. Dinner will be ready when you are.
The only actual cooking in this dish aside from baking it (which is completely hands-off), is browning the meat and cooking the onion, which takes less than 10 minutes. Once that is done, you just mix the rest of the ingredients together, tightly wrap the casserole with foil and bake.
You probably should stick around the house, you know, since the oven is on and all, but other than that you can do whatever your heart desires. And make sure to stir this every so often!
Enjoy!
About this Stuffed Pepper Casserole recipe
- Make sure to buy long-grain rice. The short grain will take longer to cook. My neighbor makes a version of this with orzo so you could try that if you wanted!
- Feel free to substitute ground beef if you want a more traditional stuffed pepper flavor in this stuffed pepper casserole. I love ground turkey and I go for the extra lean stuff for this recipe because all the juice from the tomatoes makes it super juicy and flavorful.
- As with many of my recipes, I love to use extra sharp cheddar cheese on this stuffed pepper casserole. The bold flavor allows you to use less cheese leading to a lower calorie meal. Mozzarella cheese is fine, too – it has a milder flavor but is still delicious. Go ahead and substitute whatever cheese you like, or happen to have on hand.
More bell pepper recipes
- Pizza Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- One Pan Sausage and Rice with Sweet Peppers
- Southwestern Stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers (perfect for an appetizer)
- Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with chicken
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
- Italian Chicken and Rice Bake (one dish dinner)
- Mini Frittatas with Sausage and Red Pepper
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Healthy stuffed pepper casserole with ground turkey, brown rice, and cheddar cheese is a go-to meal for weeknights. It’s easy to make, hearty, and tastes great!
Ingredients
- 1 package (16 oz.) ground turkey
- ½ cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 large bell peppers (any color), chopped into approx. 1-inch pieces
- 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup long grain brown rice (long grain white rice may be substituted; see note)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or shredded mozzarella)
- Chopped flat leaf parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a large skillet, brown ground turkey and onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. (I use a non-stick skillet. If you don’t, you might want to add a teaspoon or two of olive oil.) Cook, breaking up ground turkey, until turkey is cooked through and onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
- Put into baking dish. Add chopped peppers, tomatoes, rice, oregano, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Cover tightly with foil.
- Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, remove from oven, uncover and stir. Replace foil, return to oven and bake 15 minutes more or until rice is tender. Remove foil, add cheese, and bake 5 minutes uncovered, or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
Variations
- Substitute long grain white rice: prepare as directed. Bake covered for 45 minutes, stir, recover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.
- Use lean ground beef or bulk sausage (pork or turkey) instead of ground turkey. After browning, drain off excess grease.
- Vegetarian: Omit meat and substitute a can (15.5 oz.) of pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained.
- Cheese: Use any type of shredded cheese you happen to have. Cheese can be omitted for a non-dairy option.
- Spicy: Replace the bell peppers with poblano peppers.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 175kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 563mg, Potassium: 500mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 2306IU, Vitamin C: 87mg, Calcium: 208mg, Iron: 2mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Peggy Auletto says
This casserole was a major hit at home & as a dinner gift to friends! If you haven’t tried it, you must do!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Julie M. says
I don’t have much luck with internet recipes, but this is the one exception! It is a great recipe that I keep coming back to for a few years now. It’s very versatile to swapping ingredients. For instance, I like to swap in quinoa, cooks for 40 mins then 5 more with the cheese. I also sometimes use one can of tomatoes and half a jar of salsa– great added layer of flavor. This is always yummy!
Rachel Gurk says
That means so much to me! The success of my recipes is the most important thing to me when it comes to this website. Love the idea of adding some salsa – yum!
Emily says
This recipe has been a family favorite for a few years now. It’s quick to throw together and a delicious healthy dinner! Highly recommend.
Yes, the cook time is longer but worth it. I’ve also done it with already made brown rice.
It’s also delicious over a salad! I’ve skipped out on the rice and cheese when I’m doing a whole 30 and it’s really good too!
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad it’s a favorite, that makes me so happy. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot to me!
Wendy says
Will leftovers freeze well?
Rachel Gurk says
They should freeze great!
Christine @ myblissfulmess says
This was super easy to put together, very filling and delicious! It’s great if you love stuffed peppers, but want to be lazy about it, which is exactly what I wanted to do. I used mozzarella on this because that’s what I had on hand, so I haven’t tried it with the sharp cheddar yet. It was excellent with the mozzarella. Thank you so much for this! And if anyone is a WW like myself, the points worked out to be 4 (Blue), 5 (Green), 2 (Purple). That is just an estimate, you will want to calculate it for yourself using the products and brands you choose.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked this recipe! It is definitely a great no-fuss recipe. And thanks for sharing the helpful WW info!
Susan says
My husband and I really enjoyed this casserole! Although cook time is kind of long (we had a good workout in the meantime!), prep is quick and simple. I followed the recipe; however, I only had a pound of ground turkey, I added 1 cup of chopped onions, and one 14 oz. can each of fire roasted tomatoes and diced tomatoes. This dish is flavorful, plentiful, and will most certainly be served again soon in our home. We loved it. Thank you!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! You’re right about the cook time, it’s long…but it’s pretty hands-off, freeing you up to do other things (like a great workout!). Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Katy says
Made a version of this tonight and my family LOVED it, we all had seconds. I didn’t have turkey, so I used lean ground beef, as well as an extra pepper and used white rice instead of brown. It is such an easy and yummy recipe to throw together with all pantry staples…. thank you!!
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
Danielle Fyvie says
Hi, I’m wondering if I could make this with cauliflower rice and if so, how long would you suggest I bake it for? Im thinking about half the time. It looks like a great recipe but I’m on a low carb diet.
Thanks!
Rachel Gurk says
I think that would be delicious! The cauliflower rice won’t absorb liquid like normal rice does. I think what I would do is just saute it all in an oven-safe skillet and then just pop it in the oven to melt the cheese. So do steps 1 & 2, add the peppers and saute until they are slightly softened, and then add the cauliflower rice, tomatoes (you might be able to use a smaller can – 15oz), oregano, garlic powder and keep cooking until the peppers are to the tenderness you like. Then I’d sprinkle it with cheese and pop it in the oven until the cheese melts.
I hope that helps! Let me know if you give it a try!