Whole30 Stuffed Peppers

Y'all know I'm all about starting the week with meals prepped and ready to go so that my week goes smoother and I'm able to focus on my people in a more intentional way. Prepping lunches is a must for me, and something I've fairly recently made a change in. I used to not make a definite plan for lunches for myself because I'd usually wing it and throw something together from whatever was in the fridge. I started realizing, though, that this led to a lot of standing in front of an open refrigerator for way too long, hungry, cranky and dying for some food to just put in my mouth without having to think too hard about what that should be.

Enter, prepped lunches. I make my Whole30 pesto chicken salad often, and have been making this turkey larb as well. These stuffed peppers have been added to the rotation and I love them. About 1 1/2 is perfect for me, with avocado sliced on top, a drizzle of homemade ranch, and some raw veggies for dipping in more ranch (I'm obsessed, y'all). 

These make a perfect dinner also, and would be a great mama meal to bless a friend with - they are so simple! Enjoy! 

Whole30 Stuffed Peppers // Natasha Red Blog
Whole30 Stuffed Peppers // Natasha Red Blog

Ingredients:

  • 8 bell peppers (any color)
  • 1 head of cauliflower, riced OR 16 oz bag of riced cauliflower
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
  • 2 large handfuls of greens (arugula, spinach, Swiss chard)
  • extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F. 
  2. Using a large chef knife, slice off tops of the bell peppers, then remove the ribs and seeds.*
  3. Drizzle some olive oil on the bottom of a baking dish and place peppers inside. 
  4. Lightly drizzle olive oil inside the peppers and bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. 
  5. While the peppers are baking, start on your filling. Heat up some olive oil in a large pot. If you are creating your own cauliflower rice, you'll need to chop it into sections and shred it in a food processor. If using bagged cauliflower rice, just dump it in, along with the carrots and garlic. 
  6. Sauté the veggies for about 3 minutes, until fragrant, then move them to one side of the pot and add ground turkey and seasonings. Break up the turkey as it browns with a wooden spoon and incorporate everything together. Add your greens. 
  7. Once the turkey is fully cooked, taste the filling and adjust seasonings as needed. 
  8. Fill the peppers with filling and bake in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. 
  9. Serve with sliced avocado, cilantro, and fresh veggies with homemade ranch on the side for dipping! 

*Notes:

  • I make my own taco seasoning - the recipe is in my cookbook, Nourished
  • Keep the pepper tops for compost, to add to homemade broth, or for another Mexican inspired dish later in the week. You could dice up the flesh leftover and then throw away the stems at that time. 
Whole30 Stuffed Peppers // Natasha Red Blog