This is the perfect marriage of healthy and delicious, not to mention, it's quick and super easy! What's more to like?
In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat and add in the chopped 1/2 yellow onion and the 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic. Saute until fragrant, it should only take a couple of minutes. The BEST smell in the world!
Add in the ground turkey breast (the leaner the better). I get this one from Whole Foods.
See Below.
Along with the ground turkey breast, add in 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 2 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of salt and ground black pepper. Fresh ground black pepper is best. I always use fresh ground because the flavor of the pepper is much better.
Break up the turkey and cook until browned, it should take about 4-5 minutes to do so.
Once the ground turkey is fully cooked, add in 1 cup of chicken broth (low sodium is best, or you can use vegetable broth), 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa (traditional quinoa, I buy Ancient Harvest because it's organic and it comes already washed and rinsed), 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup of roughly chopped cilantro. Stir until it is all mixed together. Cover and cook for 15minutes on medium heat.
While the quinoa turkey filling cooks, preheat the oven to 400 degreed F. Then let's start on the bell peppers. First, slice all the bell peppers in half. I like to get red, orange, and yellow bell peppers just to make the dish extra colorful. After slicing them in half, go ahead and take out all of the seeds and white membranes. They should look like the photo above. Place them in a baking pan.
After the 15 minutes are up, go ahead and stir the mixture. Scoop the quinoa turkey filling into each bell pepper halve. Try to fit as much filling in as possible. They should almost be overflowing.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the baking pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Then take them out and remove the foil. Top each bell pepper with the Mexican shredded cheese and place back in the oven to cook for another 10 minutes.
Lastly, garnish with thinly sliced scallions (green onions) and serve hot.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground turkey breast
3 large bell peppers (different colors), halved and seeded
1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1 1/4 cup of chicken broth (low sodium)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring until fragrant.
2. Add in the ground turkey breast, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Break up the turkey and brown (4-5 minutes).
3. Once the ground turkey is fully cooked, add in the uncooked quinoa, tomato sauce, 1 cup of the chicken broth, and the chopped cilantro. Stir well to combine and then cover. Turn the heat down to medium and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and start on the bell peppers. Slice them in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Place in a baking dish.
5. After the 15 minutes, the mixture should be fully cooked. Stir and scoop the turkey-quinoa filling into the bell pepper halves, filling them as much as you can. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the baking pan and cover tightly with foil.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and top the bell peppers with the shredded Mexican cheese. Place back in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions and serve hot.
Enjoy!
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