Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

These easy enchilada stuffed peppers are the perfect balance meal. The bell peppers are stuffed with ground turkey, rice, mild enchilada sauce and topped with cheese for that extra cheesy factor.

Why you'll love these stuffed peppers

• So easy to make and perfect to prep ahead and meal prep
• Best way for your family to eat your veggies
• If you love traditional Mexican enchiladas like I do then you will love this spin on an enchilada recipe
• If you have leftover ground turkey enchilada mixture you can use it to make another meal like tacos or it makes a great burrito filling.

Ingredients you'll need

• Ground turkey - lean protein for these stuffed peppers
• Minced garlic - to add some garlicky flavor
• Onion - diced onion to sautéed with minced garlic
• Bell peppers - mix of colors. I like using orange and green bell peppers
• Mild enchilada sauce - I like using mild red enchilada sauce, but you can also use the green enchilada sauce
• Cooked rice - white or brown rice work great for added substance. I like using the boil in bag rice or frozen rice.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese - I like using freshly grated mozzarella since it melts so much better, but you can use the shredded mozzarella bags
• Olive Oil - to sautéed the onion, garlic and browned the ground turkey
• Spices - ground cumin, black pepper and garlic salt

Should I partially cook the bell peppers?

I do not pre-cook the bell peppers, however some recipes suggest you partially cook the peppers to soften and speed up the baking process. I find this extra step not needed. Adding water to the bottom of the baking dish and covering with foil while baking steams the peppers and they soften perfectly without being overly soft. If you would like your stuffed peppers to be extra soft then you can partially boil in water beforehand for a few minutes or heat in the microwave for a couple three minutes.

How to make easy enchilada stuffed peppers

Step 1: Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cooking the rice per packaging instructions. Then cut the bell peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Try not to cut the stems as the stem helps the pepper hold its shape. Set aside

Step 2: In a large deep skillet in medium high heat add oil and sautéed the onion until translucent. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute. Add in the ground turkey, cumin, garlic salt and pepper and cook until the meat is no longer pink.

Stir in the enchilada sauce and combine. After two minutes the sauce will start bubbling up.

Step 3: Once the enchilada sauce starts bubbling up stir in ½ cup of shredded mozzarella and then add in 1 cup of cooked rice and combine. Remove from heat and set aside.

Step 4: Spray the bell peppers or brush with olive oil or avocado oil. Add half a cup of water to the bottom of a large baking dish or 16x9 baking dish. Scoop ground turkey enchilada mixture inside the hollow bell peppers all the way to the top and place on the baking dish facing up. The ground turkey enchilada sauce mixture should be good to fill four large bell peppers cut in half or about 6 smaller size bell peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes you can rotate the baking dish so all the stuffed peppers cook evenly.

Step 5: After 40 minutes sprinkle each stuffed bell pepper with shredded cheese and put back in the oven uncovered for five minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh chopped cilantro on top.

Recipe variations and Substitutions

You can definitely substitute the ground turkey for ground beef, ground chicken or your favorite ground meat of choice. You can used green enchilada sauce instead or mild red enchilada sauce. If you do not have mozzarella any great melting cheese will work great here.

How to serve stuffed ground turkey peppers

I like serving these stuffed peppers with a side salad like this easy cactus salad or top them with a Mexican salsa roja or salsa verde. Or simply just eat them alone as a quick lunch or snack.

Storage and heating suggestions

You can store Mexican stuffed bell peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to three months.

To reheat, simply add in the microwave and heat for 45-60 seconds or until fully warmed.

Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

Easy enchilada sauce ground turkey stuffed peppers. These make the perfect balance meal and are the perfect make-ahead recipe.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 large bell peppers (mix of colors)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• ⅓ cup diced onion
• 1 lb ground turkey
• ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• 10 oz mild red enchilada sauce
• 1 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (+ more for topping)

Toppings

• ¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

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Instructions

 

• Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cooking the rice per packaging instructions.
• Then cut the bell peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Try not to cut the stems as the stem helps the pepper hold its shape. Set aside
• In a large deep skillet in medium high heat add oil and sautéed the onion until translucent 3-5 minutes. Then add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute.
• Add in the ground turkey, cumin, garlic salt and pepper and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
• Stir in the enchilada sauce and combine. Once the enchilada sauce starts bubbling up stir in ½ cup of shredded mozzarella and then add in 1 cup of cooked rice and combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Add half a cup of water to the bottom of a large baking dish or 16x9 baking dish. Spray the bell peppers or brush with olive oil or avocado oil. Scoop ground turkey enchilada mixture inside the hollow bell peppers all the way to the top and place on the baking dish facing up.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. After 20 minutes rotate the baking dish so all the stuffed peppers cook evenly.
• After 40 minutes sprinkle each stuffed bell pepper with the remaining shredded cheese and put back in the oven uncovered for five minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve with fresh chopped cilantro on top.

Notes

The ground turkey enchilada sauce mixture fills four large bell peppers cut in half or about 6 smaller size bell peppers.

Make sure you pick large bell peppers about the same size so you can distribute the filling evenly

If you have leftover enchilada ground turkey filling  - I like making tacos or filling a burrito. 

Want to pre-cook the bell peppers beforehand to make them extra soft? Boil in water for 3-5 minutes or pop them in the microwave for 3 minutes. This method is optional - I prefer to just cook them in the oven for 45 minutes. 

Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @espressomykitchen on Instagram

Other veggie packed recipes to try

• Cactus salad
• Zucchini fritters
• Mexican chicken salad