Curry & Cranberry Stuffed Bell Peppers

This main course includes all the food groups — a stuffed bell pepper filled with ground turkey, rice, tomatoes, cheese, curry and dried cranberries. A step-by-step tutorial will show you how to make this impressive looking and flavor-packed dinner.

My stuffed bell peppers recipe is perhaps the most popular savory concoction I have shared with friends and extended family. It’s not too fancy and doesn’t cost a fortune to make — except maybe when bell peppers aren’t in season.

There is a lot of flexibility with this recipe to add or subtract favorite ingredients into the filling to create your ideal stuffed bell peppers. Throw the ingredients together without measuring and change it up slightly, after you try this one.

Stuffed bell peppers have year-round appeal and endless possibilites to concoct unique combinations — quinoa, rice, sausage, turkey, ground beef, Indian curry, Italian and Mexican flavors, to name a few.

A flavorsome segueway into autumn, these peppers — especially the orange ones, look like mini jack-o-lanterns. I prefer to hand pick each bell pepper and hunt for those that will stand alone easily and are uniform in size. Any color will work well.

Curry & Cranberry Stuffed Bell Peppers

8 firm bell peppers (self standing is the preferred shape)
2 pounds ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons curry
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, plain or herb flavored
1 cup water
8 ounces freshly grated cheese (pepper jack, Gouda, cheddar)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

Slice the tops off of the bell peppers. Discard seeds, stems and insides of the peppers. Save the tops to chop and the bases to go into boiling water.
Heat a large pot of water to boil, then add the main bell peppers. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, then remove from heat. Drain excess water, then sprinkle salt inside each bell pepper.
Chop the bell pepper tops. In a large skillet, cook ground turkey along with the chopped bell peppers and onions on medium high.
Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and curry to meat mixture.
When meat is no longer pink (and is done), add Worchestershire sauce, rice, tomatoes and water and cook until it starts to boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover with lid for 20 minutes until rice is tender.
Turn off heat. Stir in dried cranberries and most of the cheese. (Save some to add to the tops of the bell peppers.)
Place the softened, cooked and salted bell peppers into a baking dish. Spoon each bell pepper cavity with meat filling, dividing evenly among all the peppers. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake at 350°F degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and serve while hot.

Makes 8 stuffed bell peppers, 364 calories each

For those who prefer a “show me” recipe, here are pictures starting with what you’ll need.

Cut the tops off. Discard the seeds and membranes.

Separate the tops and bases.

Chop the bell pepper tops and dice the onion.

Put the main bell peppers into a pot of boiling water to cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from water and drain well. Lightly salt the interiors.

Cook turkey and diced onion and bell peppers in a large skillet on medium high heat.

Cook until the ground turkey is no longer pink.

Add Worchestershire sauce, rice, tomatoes and water, then cook on high until mixture starts to boil.

After mixture begins to boil, turn the heat to low and cover with a lid to simmer.

When the rice has softened, stir in the cranberries and most of the cheese. Place the peppers inside a baker and stuff the peppers individually with the hot filling. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 F degrees.