Stuffed Bell Peppers - with minced turkey

While Thanksgiving is when most people of think of turkey, I buy them throughout the year. No! not the whole bird but the minced (kheema) turkey. Spiced up they are tasty. Those days when getting goat kheema was almost impossible turkey filled the void pretty nicely. Those of you who are trying to use up the turkey you cooked up last week this could be a change from the usual sandwiches and soups people tend to use the leftovers for.

This past summer I had a few bell pepper plants but due to lack of water or nutrition or whatever the pepper I grew were not the ginormous size we usually see in the grocery store instead there were about 1/3 of the size and tastier. Smaller the size, tastier the end result - go figure.

I had wanted to give chile relleno a try but was not too keen on the the tomato because at that time in the summer we were to our gills with tomato and did not want another meal with tomato sauce so left that out.

Though it looks like a time consuming affair, cooking these stuffed bell peppers is pretty easy. Clean the bell peppers and pat them dry. I have used minced turkey for stuffing but really the choice is really up to you. Mashed and spiced potatoes or beans can be used. If you like soy granules they could be used here too. Cook the turkey kheema using whatever spices you prefer. Cook rice - I used brown rice.

Recipe in pictures.

Clean the bell peppers and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.
Drain the bell peppers, apply oil on the outside and set aside. Cook the minced turkey .
Arrange the bell peppers in a oil coated baking dish. Add some rice followed by the kheema into the bell pepper.
Top with cheese and bake in a 350F preheated oven for 15 minutes or till the cheese is melted and looks golden brown.
Serve with some preferred sauce on the side.

For a vegetarian version use mashed spiced potatoes or soy granules cooked the same way.

Stuffed Bell Peppers - with minced turkey
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients

1. 10-15 small sized bell peppers or use 5 large bell peppers preferably green
2. l lb cooked turkey kheema(minced turkey) - recipe
3. 2 cups cooked brown rice
4. 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
5. spicy ketchup or any other tomato sauce (optional)

Method

1. Cook the turkey kheema as per recipe of your choice, should be dry.
2. Cook rice if desired with a bit of butter, lemon juice and salt. Fluff and set aside.
3. Clean the bell peppers, cut the top step portion off and remove the seeds and ribs. Set aside.
4. Bring a pot of water to boil, the pot should be big enough to hold all the bell peppers or do them in batches.
   Submerge the bell peppers and let it blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain the water immediately and set aside.
5. Spray or rub the outside of the bell pepper with oil.
6. In a oil coated baking dish arrange the bell peppers so they stand upright.
7. Start by adding rice to each of the bell pepper for about quarter of the way. Fill with kheema or add the kheema and add a bit more rice and top with cheese as much as you want.
8. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, till the cheese is melted, looks golden brown and the bell pepper look roasted on the outside.
9. Serve with ketchup or any other salsa or tomato sauce.

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