Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers Recipe
These crock pot stuffed peppers are made with 5 simple ingredients and filled with delicious taco flavors. A practical slow cooker meal that keeps dinner simple.
Servings: 6
Calories: 386kcal
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati or brown rice (cooked; roughly ¾ cups uncooked)
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 cups cheese (shredded; mozzarella or cheddar work)
Serving suggestions
- sour cream or greek yogurt
- fresh tomatoes or salsa
- avocado slices
- fresh green onions or cilantro
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions; set aside to cool.
- Cut tops off bell peppers so that you have a 1.5-2 inch hole in the tops.
- Using a toothpick, poke 3-4 holes towards the bottom of the bell peppers.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cooled rice, ground turkey, taco seasoning and 1 ¼ cups of cheese.
- Spoon filling into the bell peppers. Press it right in using a spoon.
- Arrange filled bell peppers in a 6 quart slow cooker; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until cooked through. You can check using an instant read thermometer that the filling has reached 165°F in the middle.
To assemble ahead and freeze:
- Follow steps 1-4 above.
- Arrange stuffed bell peppers on a baking sheet or in a baking dish with rims (so they don't fall over).
- Freeze 3 hours- overnight before transferring to a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month.
- To cook: thaw completely before cooking as directed above.
Video
Notes
Recipe notes
- Start with cooled rice: you do need to start with pre-cooked and cooled rice, so make sure you give yourself enough time for it to cool completely. If the rice is hot when you mix it up, the meat can start to cook before you stuff the peppers, which could lead to tough and dry filling.
- Poke holes in the peppers: While testing this recipe, I found that liquid would pool in the bottom of the peppers as the ground turkey cooked. To avoid soggy bell peppers, we poke a few holes in the bottoms using a toothpick. It works like a charm to help the liquid drain out of the peppers as the turkey cooks.
- Heat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot.
- Heat multiple portions in the oven (uncovered) at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Instant Pot- Check out these Instant Pot ground turkey stuffed peppers.
- Low Carb- Omit the rice; since the rice bulks out the filling, the recipe will fill fewer bell peppers.
- Vegetarian- Swap the turkey for 2 cups of black beans; cheese is important for flavor and this recipe has not been tested with vegan cheese.
Nutrition
Serving: 1stuffed pepper | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg