I don’t have a lot of original recipes, I love to cook but I also love cookbooks. Anything I do have that’s original probably came from my mama, and maybe I tweaked it. This stuffed peppers recipe is really her recipe too, but with my twist to it. It is delicious and is basically Thanksgiving in a pepper. For those meal preppers, these are great for pre-planning leftovers too. So let’s get down to it!
Total Time: ~ 50-60 minutes (25-35 prep, 25 baking)
What you need:
- 6 Bell Peppers (Red, Orange, or Yellow)
- 1 Cup uncooked Quinoa
- 1 package of Jennie-O All-natural Turkey Sausage
- Pepperidge Farms Classic Stuffing (This is the dry bread crumb kind but I can’t always find it and unfortunately go with StoveTop when I’m in a bind)
- 8 oz Cremini mushrooms (I save time and buy pre-sliced from Safeway)
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1 cup Shredded carrots
- Dried Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, and Rosemary (about 1 teaspoon each, but if you like one more than the others then add more — I LOVE Rosemary)
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil
- Unsalted Butter
**If you are vegetarian or vegan, skip the sausage. If you are gluten free, skip the stuffing. This recipe is already friendly for anyone who is Dairy-Free!
How to do it:
Ok, this requires some multi-tasking and helps if you have a friend or a partner to cook with. Of course my mom mastered this by herself, but I had to practice a few times to make this meal without help and get the timing right. Note you will need one large skillet, one small skillet, two medium pots, a Pyrex dish, and two cutting boards.
1. Chop the onion into bite size pieces. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Follow Package Directions to Cook 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing in their respective pots on the back burners of the stove.
3. While waiting for water to boil, heat the medium skillet on medium-high and add a little bit of olive oil. Slice the sausage and then add to the skillet. Use spatula or large spoon to break apart into little sausage pieces and cook until no longer pink. Once finished turn off heat.
4.Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute 3-5 minutes or until translucent. Add the mushroom, carrots, and spices and saute until the mushrooms have released their juicy goodness (3-5 minutes).
5.Once each of the four (quinoa, stuffing, sausage, veggies) are done and all the burners are off, mix everything into the large skillet already containing the veggies.
6.Take the six Bell Peppers and cut off the top of the pepper. Pop or cut out the green stem. Carve out the seeds and the soft white insides from the Peppers.
7.Take a Tablespoons and spoon the filling into each pepper. Pack it down into the pepper and level off. Place the top of the pepper back onto the stuffed bottom.
8. Place the peppers in the glass Pyrex dish and place in the oven for 25 minutes. The top of the pepper should brown nicely.
9. Remove from oven and let cool, then serve with any leftover stuffing on the side. Enjoy!
*** I eat one pepper with some stuffing on the side and am usually satisfied. Jeremy eats two, so the serving size varies but that gives you an idea 🙂
-Shaina
