Asian Caucasian is all about healthy and flavorful, and these tasty, gluten-free, and easy Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice are no exception. They’re a cinch to make! The ground turkey “stuffing” packs a slight punch with Asian spices, jalapeño and shishito peppers, and sambal oelek (red chili paste) for a slight kick.

Multi-color bell peppers are the perfect vessel for this healthy dish! Pre-bake the peppers to soften before filling them with this super flavorful stuffing!

You can use red, yellow, or green bell peppers in this gluten-free Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice dish. I also blistered some shishito peppers on my stovetop and chopped them up to include in this mixture! So yummy!

Ingredients for this recipe

Brown or white rice. Use leftover rice if you have it!
Yellow or red bell peppers. If you like green bell peppers then, by all means, use it.
Jalapeño and shishito peppers. I blistered the shishito peppers to bring out more flavor, but you can omit this step.
Canola oil. Only a little is needed for sauteing. You can also use vegetable oil.
Ground turkey. I like to use 80%+ lean turkey to lower the fat content.
Shallots and fresh garlic. You can substitute the shallots for a half an onion.
Mushrooms. I used white button mushrooms, but feel free to use any mushrooms you have on hand.
Ginger. Fresh ginger is always best in this dish, but used 1 teaspoon of dried ginger if you don’t have fresh.
Kale. You can use either frozen or fresh kale.
Light coconut milk. Keeping it light again!
Thai red curry paste. This is easily found in the Asian section of your grocery store.
Sambal oelek. This is a staple in my house. Gives this dish a slight kick!
Fresh cilantro and lime juice. The perfect finishing touch!

I’m a big fan of quinoa so these yellow bell peppers are stuffed with turkey and quinoa, a great option instead of rice!

How to make the best stuffed peppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow baking dish, place bell peppers open side up and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until peppers are just soft.
Meanwhile, lay 3 shishito peppers directly onto your stovetop over high heat and blister all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Repeat with the other 3 peppers. Remove and let cool. Remove stems and chop.
Heat canola oil on medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add garlic, chopped bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, shishito peppers, and shallots. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add in the ground turkey and cook until slightly browned. Add in mushrooms and ginger and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt and stir in brown rice or quinoa, and chopped kale.
In a small saucepan on another burner, heat coconut milk, red curry paste, and sambal oelek on medium-high heat until just boiling. Stir sauce into sauté pan with other ingredients. Sprinkle in cilantro and squeeze of lime juice.
Stuff bell peppers with the mixture and place back in the oven for 25 minutes until the mixture is heated through.
Top with more cilantro. Serve while hot.

This gluten-free Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice is great for leftovers! Half of the pepper is plenty for one serving and you can put the rest in the fridge for the next day!

TIPS & TRICKS

Using leftover rice in this dish is perfect! I often freeze my leftover rice and pull it out for the next dish.
You can blister the shisito peppers in a pan if you’re not comfortable doing it directly on your stovetop.
If you don’t have ground turkey, you can always use ground chicken, beef, or pork.
Sambal oelek is available at most grocery stores now, in the Asian section.

WANT MORE?

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Update Notes: This post was originally published on October 18, 2016, but was republished with slight text changes and additions, like step by step instructions and tips in March 2020.