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Slow Cooker Turkey Stuffed Peppers

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Colorful bell peppers stuffed with a boldly seasoned ground turkey, rice, and mozzarella filling, slow-cooked in a light tomato sauce until the peppers are perfectly tender and the filling is deeply flavored — then topped with melted mozzarella for the final 20 minutes of cooking. A complete, vibrant, weeknight dinner that looks impressive and cooks completely hands-off. Lighter than the classic beef version but every bit as satisfying.

  • Total Time: 6 hours 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings (1 stuffed pepper per person) 1x

Ingredients

Scale

The Peppers

  • 6 medium bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), tops cut off and seeds removed

The Turkey Filling

  • 1½ lbs (680g) ground turkey, 93% lean
  • 1½ cups cooked long-grain white rice
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained (reserve juice)
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup (55g) shredded mozzarella (stirred into filling)
  • ½ cup (50g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

The Sauce Base (Bottom of Slow Cooker)

  • ½ cup (120ml) tomato sauce or passata
  • ½ cup (120ml) low-sodium chicken broth
  • Reserved juice from the diced tomato can
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp Italian seasoning

The Cheese Topping (Added Last 20 Minutes)

  • 1 cup (115g) shredded mozzarella cheese

To Serve

 

  • Fresh parsley or basil, roughly chopped
  • Extra grated Parmesan
  • Spoonfuls of the sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker

Instructions

  • Prepare the peppers. Cut the tops off each bell pepper and remove all seeds and membranes. If a pepper cannot stand upright, slice a very thin sliver off the base to create a flat bottom — do not cut through. Set aside.
  • Make the turkey filling. In a large bowl, combine the raw ground turkey, cooked rice, drained diced tomatoes, diced onion, minced garlic, ½ cup shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Mix well until fully combined. Taste the raw mixture — it should taste well-seasoned and slightly bold, as flavors will mellow during cooking.
  • Build the sauce base. Pour the tomato sauce, chicken broth, reserved tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Italian seasoning into the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Stir to combine.
  • Stuff the peppers. Pack the turkey filling tightly into each pepper, pressing down firmly to eliminate air pockets. Fill to the very top, mounding the filling slightly above the rim.
  • Place in the slow cooker. Stand the stuffed peppers upright in the slow cooker insert. Wedge them snugly together or against the sides to keep them upright during cooking. It is fine if the tops of the peppers touch the lid.
  • Cook. Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 6 to 7 hours, or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the peppers are completely tender when pierced with a knife and the turkey filling is fully cooked through.
  • Add the cheese topping. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and add a generous layer of shredded mozzarella on top of each stuffed pepper. Replace the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and beginning to bubble.

 

  • Rest and serve. Turn off the slow cooker. Let the peppers rest for 5 minutes with the lid slightly ajar. Carefully transfer each pepper to a plate using a large spoon or tongs. Spoon the sauce from the bottom of the slow cooker generously over each pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and extra Parmesan.

Notes

  • Season the filling boldly. Stuffed pepper filling needs to be noticeably well-seasoned before cooking — it will mellow during the long slow cook. Taste the raw mixture and season more aggressively than feels comfortable. Under-seasoned filling is the most common stuffed pepper mistake.
  • Always use pre-cooked rice. Raw rice in the filling will not cook evenly during the slow cooker cooking time. Use leftover cooked rice, or cook rice specifically for this recipe and cool before adding.
  • Mozzarella inside AND on top. Stirring mozzarella into the filling before cooking creates creamy pockets of cheese throughout the interior. The topping layer added at the end creates the gooey, visible top layer. Both are important.
  • Don’t add too much liquid to the base. The peppers and turkey filling release considerable moisture during cooking. Start with a modest amount of liquid (½ cup each of tomato sauce and broth) — too much and the peppers become waterlogged.
  • The sauce at the bottom is the finishing touch. By the time the peppers are cooked, the base liquid has absorbed all the cooking juices and flavors. Spoon it generously over each served pepper — it is one of the best parts of the whole dish.
  • Pepper color affects flavor. Red, orange, and yellow peppers are sweeter and milder. Green peppers are more assertive and slightly bitter. Mix colors for visual variety and a range of flavor notes, or use all red for the sweetest result.

 

  • Cauliflower rice works perfectly. Raw cauliflower rice can be substituted directly for the cooked white rice — it cooks through in the slow cooker and produces a lighter, lower-carb version that is genuinely excellent.
  • Author: Elle
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 hours 20 minutes (on LOW, including cheese)
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Slow Cooking
  • Cuisine: American, Italian
  • Diet: Gluten-Free

Find it online: https://slowcookerrecipes.us/slow-cooker-turkey-stuffed-peppers/