Makes 8 to 10 peppers

These peppers are packed with flavor. This is a quick and easy dish to put together, and it’s so filling there may even be leftovers so you can take tomorrow night off! Use any combination of vegetables you like for the stuffing mixture, and feel free to prepare it a day in advance and bake as needed. You can experiment with the colors of bell peppers and the type of ground meat, for different flavor combinations. Perhaps try ground beef or even lamb instead, for an exotic twist. Jessie loves these peppers served alongside a big, crisp salad. Jilly prefers hers with loads of nutty grated Parmesan cheese on top. However you serve it up, this will be one nutritious and delicious dinner that everyone in your family will enjoy.
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• Ingredients
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon lightly salted butter
• 1 cup white or brown quick-cooking rice (10 minute variety)
• Salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium-size stalks celery, trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped baby bella mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 cans (14 ounces each) diced or chopped tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence Seasoning or Cajun seasoning of your choice
• 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• Black pepper to taste
• 8 to 10 medium-size bell peppers, any color preferred like red, yellow or green, left whole but cored, seeded, and ribs removed
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the water and butter and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the rice and cook according to package directions, seasoning with salt, if desired. Set aside.
4. In a large sauté pan with deep sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, chopped bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 6 to 8 minutes
5. Add the ground turkey, Essence Seasoning, and thyme to the pan and sauté until the meat is fully cooked, making sure to crumble it with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
6. Once the meat is fully cooked through, add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well.
7. Add the cooked rice along with the meat mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and re-season if needed. Turn off the heat.
8. Arrange the prepared peppers in a baking dish with deep sides. You want the peppers to stand upright in the dish without falling.
9. Spoon some meat and rice mixture into each pepper, packing it down as you go and trying to distribute the mixture evenly among the peppers. Once filled, sprinkle a generous amount of grated Parmesan on each pepper, if you’d like.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until filling is golden brown on top and the peppers are a bit soft.
11. Remove from the oven and serve.