Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (2024)

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by Emily Dingmannn 7 Comments

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4 from 2 reviews

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Easy Trader Joe’s Turkey Stuffed Peppers are an easy weeknight meal that combine turkey sauce, brown rice and cheese for a filling, delicious dinner.

Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (1)

This. is. a. good. one.

Stuffed peppers are not a meal that I grew up eating yet they taste like comfort to me. And as the weather is (finally!) starting to take a fall-like turn, it’s just the kind of meal I want this time of year.

It’s warm and cozy, gooey and cheesy and wholesome all at the same time. Is there a better combination? I don’t think so. AND! Demi (my #1 taster these days) happily gobbled this up, peppers and all.

Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (2)

In true TJ’s for dinner fashion, ingredients are minimal, flavor is NOTlacking and it comes together in about 20 minutes + some time in the oven.

Then dinner is on the table, and everyone is happy. Or at least that’s the ideal.How do you guys handle meal time as a family? Eat together? Kids eat and parents eat later? We have not mastered this and Demi eats about 2 minutes after we get home from picking her up and then Richie and I eat after she goes to bed. Not eating as a family is the one big mom guilt I have, so I’d love to hear how you handle dinners as a family!

Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (3)

So turkey stuffed peppers – here are the ingredients: turkey bolognese (or use simple turkey sauce), microwavable brown rice (or make the real deal), cheese, peppers (organic if possible, peppers are on the dirty dozen list) and some arugula or other greens for a simple side salad to round out the meal and add that extra dose of green vegetables.Easy peasy.

Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (4)

Let’s make dinner, shall we?

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Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (5)

TJ’s for dinner: turkey stuffed peppers

4 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Emily Dingmann
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

  • 4 peppers (about 24 oz)
  • 12 oz turkey bolognese (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
  • 7 oz bag of arugula or lettuce
  • dressing of choice or olive oil + vinegar
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash peppers and remove top, seeds and membranes.
  3. Prepare bolognese and rice as directed.
  4. Stir together bolognese, rice, 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional) and 1/2 cup of cheese.
  5. Stand peppers in baking dish and divide rice mixture between the peppers.
  6. Top with remaining cheese and top baking dish with aluminum foil.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes, broiling for 2-3 minutes at the end if necessary to brown cheese.
  9. Meanwhile prepare salad: toss greens with favorite dressing or a simple combination of a drizzle of olive oil, splash of vinegar and salt & pepper.
  10. Serve!

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Comments

  1. Justyne

    Omg! Making this next week for sure! I’m so excited!!

    Question: Does Demi eat bell peppers with nothing on them? Andy and I are HUGE bell pepper fans, but Milo doesn’t like them 😞 It’s quite discouraging when I give him peppers and hummus and he uses one pepper slice to spoon the hummus into his mouth and by the end of the snack he has eaten a ton of hummus, and not one bite of the peppers. I personally like my peppers raw (sometimes I dip them in guacamole but mostly I eat them just raw and plain). I don’t like my peppers cooked because I feel like they are soggy and they have a more watery flavor. I love the snap and crunch of raw peppers and the sweet juiciness of them 😌. I’ve tried serving them to Milo cooked, raw, and I’ve served them with several different kinds of dips … but milo does not care for them even in the slightest. I have not tried them stuffed yet so this should be interesting …

    To answer your question about dinner time … We eat dinner as a family every night. Andy gets home at different times each day so sometimes we have dinner at 5:30 and other days we don’t eat until after 7 o’clock. Days when we eat dinner late are days when Milo is snacking a lot in the evening until dinner is served. I know it isn’t the best practice, but sitting down together for mealtime is important to us! It’s one of those things that we still haven’t really figured out how to do as a family yet …

    Reply

    • Emily

      So funny about the peppers because Demi was the same way with raw ones, she would never eat them – when I served this to her, I cut everything up together and was surprised by how much pepper she ate because I had assumed she didn’t like them. It could have been the texture, or the other flavors that made this version more palatable. I’ll be curious if stuffed peppers can convince Milo so let me know how it goes!

      Well you are doing a much better job at making family dinners happen then we are! I like that you are flexible with timing – I may need to loosen up on my self-imposed rules about when she eats and supplement with some snacks if dinner will be later. I actually have tonight’s dinner ready-to-go (yay slow cooker!) so maybe we’ll try eating as a family tonight, it’s important to me too, so I need to figure out a way to make it happen.

      Reply

  2. Huge Health

    Nice one Emily. Thanks for contributing towards huge health of the people. We love your blog. Cheers!!!

    Reply

  3. CJ

    Love the ease of the recipe, and really enjoy seeing meals that can be made from TJ items and don’t require a stop at a larger store. Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals, so I was really excited! However, I found them a little bland. That could be a result of an easier recipe with fewer ingredients, so I understand that you get what you’re asking for. With my leftovers, I mixed in some tomato and sausage pasta sauce and that helped a bit! This was a cheat work around, since they were already cooked. I think in the future I’d add some onions, italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, etc. But thank you so much for giving me a good base recipe to work off of! Really appreciate it.

    Reply

    • Emily

      Hi CJ, Thanks so much for the feedback! When I first started creating these easy trader joe’s recipe I gave myself a rule of only using five or less ingredients. Which definitely helps the ease of making, but not always on the flavor! HA. I also find that sometimes a little dusting of salt, some red pepper flakes, and some grated parmesan cheese can help. But NOTED! Appreciate you letting me know. 🙂

      Reply

  4. Annie dinota

    The stuffed peppers were very good missing Garlic and more sauce but delicious

    Reply

Easy Trader Joe's Recipe: Turkey Stuffed Peppers (2024)

FAQs

Should I cook my bell peppers before stuffing them? ›

You can also pre-cook them in the oven before they're filled. Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended by the recipe, place them in the oven until they are tender, then fill and return the stuffed peppers to the oven for the remainder of the cooking time.

Why are my stuffed peppers soggy? ›

Recipe Tips and Tricks

If your stuffed peppers are soggy, you likely cooked them too long.

Does Trader Joe's have stuffed peppers? ›

Trader Joe's Stuffed Red Peppers may not be exactly a dieters dream, but at 11 grams of fat and 14 grams of carbs per serving they're not too far off the mark.

How do you keep stuffed peppers from falling apart? ›

Bell peppers contain more than 90% water, much of which is released during the cooking process. If you cook your stuffed peppers in one fell swoop, that moisture will release and end up in the final dish. Give them a jump start and prevent them from falling apart by roasting them for a short time in a hot oven.

What's the ingredients for stuffed peppers? ›

Image of What's the ingredients for stuffed peppers?
The bell pepper is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, white, chocolate, candy cane striped, and purple.
Wikipedia

Why do my stuffed peppers taste bland? ›

The problem stems from the common practice of boiling the peppers to start. The goal is to tenderize them before they're stuffed and baked, but generally the poor fellas are over-boiled, which results in their tendency to fall apart and, as noted, be flavorless.

Why do stuffed peppers take so long to cook? ›

For Uncooked Fillings in Whole Peppers:

It's possible to stuff peppers with a raw filling. If you're stuffing a whole pepper, it takes awhile to cook because the filling needs to reach a safe temperature. Out of all the stuffed peppers, this one takes the longest to cook because of its size.

Why didn't my rice cook in my stuffed peppers? ›

If you find your rice didn't cook in your stuffed peppers, it's likely one of two reasons: It didn't have enough time to cook through. There wasn't enough moisture for the grains to absorb.

What is a fancy name for stuffed peppers? ›

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed pepper", consists of a roasted and peeled/skinned green pasilla or poblano pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco) and, occasionally, minced meat, covered in an egg batter, and fried.

What is the best vegetarian stuffing at Trader Joe's? ›

Riced Cauliflower Stuffing

Trader Joe's frozen mix contains all the herbs – parsley, thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and sage – that give stuffing its savory taste. The cauliflower, which takes the place of breadcrumbs, has a nice crunch to it and pairs well with the stuffing's other star – cranberry.

How do you keep stuffed peppers upright? ›

With the simple trick of using a muffin tin, ramekin, or other handy kitchen pan, you can ensure that your stuffed peppers stay upright and always cook perfectly. Say goodbye to the frustration of toppling peppers and enjoy a hassle-free cooking experience.

Should you cook or raw bell peppers? ›

Eating them raw provides maximum vitamin C content, but cooking bell peppers can increase the availability of other nutrients.

How to par boil peppers for stuffing? ›

In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels. In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

Do bell peppers get sweeter when cooked? ›

Peppers' flavor and texture can be altered in a variety of ways during cooking. The natural sweetness of peppers can be enhanced through cooking, which can also lessen their bitterness and soften their texture for a more tender and palatable result.

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