Stuffed Green Peppers

We had a super busy afternoon today. First, McKinley had a few friends coming over for a play date who Mike photographed as part of a story I am writing for the Magazine. Then, McKinley and I went to her first ever gymnastics class! It is a Mommy& Me class so I participated, sorry no photos, but it was really cute. She learned how to somersault, handstand, hang off the bars, and she got to jump on the trampoline into the big pit - her favorite of course.

So for dinner tonight, I prepared ahead of time while McKinley napped.

Stuffed Green Peppers!

These are a great vitamin and protein packed dinner. You can make it a vegetarian dish as well by simply leaving out the turkey sausage.

STUFFED PEPPERS
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS
8 Green Bell Peppers, tops removed and diced
1 lb ground turkey sausage
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup brown rice, cooked
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced

TOPPINGS
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (If preparing ahead of time, save this step for later.) 
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground turkey sausage. 
3. Once browned, strain the juices, and place back in the skillet. Add in the diced onion, green pepper tops, can of tomatoes and juices, and seasoning. Mix until vegetables are tender. 

1. Pour contents into a large mixing bowl. Add in rice and quinoa and mix together. (If you are preparing ahead of time you can go ahead and cover the mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Add an extra 15 minutes to your cook time.) 

1. 4. Divide contents of mixing bowl into the 8 bell peppers. 

1. Bake for 45 minutes, then top with mozzarella and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and browned. 

1. Top with Parmesan and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!