Looking for a healthy dinner recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less? These Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers are heavenly! I’m loving how easy they are to make and the fact that they can be meal prepped. So perfect for our busy lifestyles!
Watch this recipe video for Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers!
These Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers are great for a quick, easy healthy dinner recipe!
Now that we have a baby, we basically have ZERO time to make dinner from scratch. I’m not sure how other moms do it! All I know is that weekend meal prep is my new way of life and I’m not complaining. I ended up making these Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers in advance, refrigerating them, and then had them ready to go for throughout the week.
If you’re into making a big dinner recipe once or twice a week and then having it for the rest of the week, then these Whole30 Stuffed Peppers are for you!
RELATED: Cheesy Chicken And Rice Stuffed Peppers
What You Need to Make Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers:
- Sweet peppers – You can use any but I prefer the red or yellow ones because they’re sweeter
- ground turkey – It’s lean, delicious and gives added protein
- spinach – Full of goodness and adds freshness
- pine nuts – Give a nice texture and crunch
- spices – Cayenne, Paprika, Chili Powder & Cumin, this spice blend gives so much flavor to these peppers and a nice spicy kick
- casserole dish – Here’s the one I recommend
Can You Freeze These Stuffed Peppers?
Yes, You can prepare these peppers in advance (don’t bake them) and store them in the freezer in suitable containers. You can also bake them and store leftovers in the fridge. Enjoy them cold with salad or reheat in the oven.
I love these Rubbermaid Brilliance containers for storing these stuffed peppers in the refrigerator or freezer. They’re leak proof, airtight, and amazing for keeping food fresh!
Other Variations
These stuffed peppers are very versatile and can be adapted with different ingredients to change them up but still keeping them whole 30! Here are some ideas:
- Kale
- Ground chicken or beef
- Sausage (check for added sugars and make sure whole30 compliant)
- Leftover potatoes
- Avocado
- Green onions
- Olives
- Fresh homemade salsa
Looking for more Whole30 and Paleo recipes? Try out these Paleo Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken Meal Prep Bowls and this Easy Whole30 Breakfast Casserole!
Spicy Southwest Whole30 Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 5 whole peppers
- 1 Tbsp crushed pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cook the ground turkey.
- While the ground turkey is cooking, cut the peppers in halves and clean out the middle of each one.
- Set one pepper aside and finely chop.
- When the turkey is almost finished cooking, add in the spinach and finely chopped pepper.
- Add in the ground pepper, cayenne, paprika, chili powder, garlic, and cumin.
- Stuff each pepper half with the turkey mixture and top with pine nuts.
- Bake for 20 minutes (or until peppers are nearly soft).
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Whitney says:
Would green peppers be fine to use with this?? Or do I need to use sweet peppers 🙂
Christine McMichael replied:
Yes, that’s totally fine Whitney! Enjoy!
Jessica says:
Hi! This sounds delicious and I plan on making it for dinner tonight. 5 whole bell peppers sounds like a lot for only 1/2lb ground turkey. Is that correct? Or is it 5 bell pepper halves?
Thanks!
Jessica
Christine McMichael replied:
Hi, Jessica! It’s actually 4 whole bell peppers (the 5th one should be minced and mixed in with the ground turkey). So yes, that is correct! I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Suzanne replied:
Hello! I am planning on making this recipe for dinner tonight and also had a question about the peppers. I bought 5 peppers, I understand 1 will be minced with the meat mixture. I will halve the other 4 peppers giving me 8 halves and the meat mixture with only 1/2 lb of ground meat will fill all 8 halves, is that correct? I am concerned I am not reading this correctly and am going to end up with a smaller meal than anticipated. Thanks for any clarification you can offer, really looking forward to trying this!
Christine McMichael replied:
Hi, Suzanne! That is correct. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Ashley Pehur says:
These look delicious! Do you think I could freeze them before or after cooking them?
Christine McMichael replied:
I think you could freeze them, but the peppers might be a little soggy when you reheat them. I recommend freezing the filling and using fresh peppers when you’re ready to reheat!
Miranda says:
These are delicious! I absolutely love the flavors. One question though,….is there not supposed to be salt in the recipe? I didn’t know for sure, so I seasoned the mix to taste with salt and it was great! A few other extras I added was 1/2 of an onion, sautéed in with the meat mix to add just another wonderful layer of flavor. I also was out of spinach, so I swapped that out with kale.
Christine McMichael replied:
Thank you, Miranda! Yes, you’re totally right! Definitely add in salt/pepper to taste. Love the idea of adding onion to the meat, too! Always a great way to add flavor. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Maggie says:
I found this recipe through Pinterest while starting to prepare for my current round of Whole30. I made them last night and just finished some leftovers for lunch at work and shared with a couple coworkers who also enjoyed them as much as I did, which was A LOT! It was super easy to do and I had most of the ingredients at home already, I did use ground chicken instead of ground turkey because it was a little cheaper at my local wholesale food store, but still SO delicious! Thank you for a great recipe, that I’ve now shared with about 10 friends and I can’t wait to make again! 🙂
Christine McMichael replied:
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Maggie! Haha I love that you shared it with everyone! 🙂
Bren says:
I can not seem to find how many peppers this needs
bailey says:
These look amazing! I’ll be doing round 2 of whole30 next month. Unfortunately the pine nuts aren’t whole30 compliant, so we have to leave those out.
Christine McMichael replied:
Thanks, Bailey! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Molly Kumar says:
These look so colorful and perfect for a summer brunch. I love the combination of turkey with veggies for stuffing and I can literally taste this – Yumm !!!
Christine McMichael replied:
Thank you! Haha, enjoy!
Sarah says:
I love using ground turkey in stuffed peppers! I will have to try this recipe out!
Christine McMichael replied:
Me too! Enjoy, Sarah!
Veena Azmanov says:
I love peppers and stuffing them just makes them a whole lot yummy. I love that you used Turkey too.. Sounds so yum.
Christine McMichael replied:
Thank you, Veena!
Jodi @ Create Kids Club says:
Looks like a delicious and easy dinner! Love the colorful peppers, so fresh!
Christine McMichael replied:
Thanks, Jodi! 🙂
Adriana Lopez Martn says:
easy comforting dish, love serving stuffed peppers I need to make them soon =)
Christine McMichael replied:
Enjoy, Adriana! 🙂
Jessica (Swanky Recipes) says:
I love making stuffed peppers with fresh ingredients every chance I get! Even better that it’s a whole30 recipe to get me through the summer, haha!
Christine McMichael replied:
Love it, Jessica!
Noel Lizotte says:
I love stuffed peppers! My husband usually eats half the pan when I make a batch, so I usually double up the recipe in order to have left overs! Love this healthy combination of flavors!
Christine McMichael replied:
So perfect, Noel! Thank you!
Dene' V. Alexander says:
I have peppers in the fridge that would be perfect for this! They were earmarked for fajitas, but not anymore!! LOL!
Christine McMichael replied:
So perfect! Haha!!