Happy Monday! Who’s in the mood for Mexican food? (I know I always am) Try this healthy twist for Taco Tuesday tomorrow and you’ll even have leftovers for the rest of the week!

I’ve been seeing stuffed pepper recipes all over lately so I decided it was time to make them this week. I made a taco mix with both ground turkey and quinoa for a little extra protein and let me tell you, this recipe makes a lot of taco mix…like A LOT. If you find yourself with leftover mix, maybe try adding it to other meals besides stuffed peppers; stuff it in spaghetti squash, zucchini boats or even traditional tacos. I know I’m going to be using the mix in different ways all week!

Timing:

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients: makes 5-6 servings

• 5-6 Large Bell Peppers
• 1 Package Ground Turkey
• 1 Cup Red Quinoa
• 1 Medium Onion, diced
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1.5 Cups Vegetable Stock
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 1 Cup Corn 3/4 Cup Salsa
• 2/3 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the peppers by cutting their tops off and removing the seeds from inside. Make sure the hole in the top of the pepper is wide enough to fit the turkey mix. When the oven has heated, put the peppers in an oven-safe dish and bake for 20 minutes.

Start preparing the taco mix while the peppers cook. Heat olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion for about 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook for about 2 minutes. Add the quinoa and let it toast in the pan for about 1-2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once it’s boiling, bring to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid.

While the peppers and quinoa are still cooking, start to cook the ground turkey. Add the meat to a pan and cook with olive oil until no longer pink. Add additional chili powder and cumin as the turkey cooks. When the turkey is close to being fully cooked, add about half the shredded cheddar cheese and salsa to the mix. Once the turkey is cooked, add the corn and black beans to the pan as well and mix together with the turkey.

After the quinoa has finished cooking, add the quinoa mixture to the turkey mixture and stir together. Taste the mix and add additional spices to taste if necessary.

Once the peppers have finished cooking, take them out of the oven and fill them with the taco mix. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese and cook for another 20 minutes. Feel free to top with more cheese, guac, salsa or sour cream and enjoy!