“Make It Snappy” is presented by Goldfish Swim School of Chapel Hill. With recipes that only take 45 minutes or less to prepare, Christy helps you stay afloat at dinner time! 

This month’s time saving shortcut is one of my all-time favorites: Thanksgiving Leftovers! My family enjoys the leftovers just as much as we enjoy the first serving of the full Thanksgiving spread. But after day 2 or 3 of eating the same meal, I like to get creative and invent new ways to use and serve the remainders of the holiday meal. I even make extras to be sure I have enough to have fun with the leftovers!

For my Turkey Stuffed peppers, you’ll see that I used store bought ground turkey, but you may also use a pound of chopped roasted turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner!

We’ll also be relying on leftover stuffing -or- rice and everyone’s favorite: gravy. Much the way breadcrumbs and eggs work to help meatloaf and meatballs keep their shape, in this recipe, the stuffing, rice and gravy all act as a binder to keep the pepper filling together.

My recipe photos show multiple colors of bell peppers, but our family’s favorite was by far the green peppers as they have a more savory flavor than the riper red, orange and yellow, which are sweeter and taste a bit more of citric acid. I highly recommend sticking with green peppers for this recipe!

This year, in addition to your turkey tetrazzinis, pot pies and stews, I hope you’ll enjoy my Turkey Stuffed Peppers for a fresh take on leftover meals. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

TURKEY STUFFED PEPPERS

By: Christy Bray Graves

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 green bell peppers, halved, ribs and seeds removed*
  • 1 TBSP olive oil, plus enough to coat peppers
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1-1.5 lbs. ground turkey**
  • ½ tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling the peppers
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1 cup leftover stuffing or rice
  • 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
  • ¾ cup turkey gravy

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven broiler with the rack near the top.
  2. Lightly coat the 8 green pepper halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the peppers on a rimmed baking sheet, cut side up, and broil for 3 minutes. Flip, and broil for 2-3 more minutes while watching the tops of the peppers to be sure they appear to be browning and slightly charring, but do not become too blackened. Remove from the oven and set aside.
  3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and starting to soften.
  4. To the same pan with the onions, add the ground turkey, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes, breaking up the turkey, until the it is no longer pink and is cooked all the way through.
  5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey and onion mixture with 1 cup of leftover stuffing or rice and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. The meat mixture should be moist but not wet and should easily able to hold its shape when it’s time to stuff the peppers. If the mixture is too dry and crumbly, stir in gravy a couple of tablespoons at a time, until properly moistened. If it’s too wet, add more stuffing or rice, ¼ cup at a time.
  6. Stuff the broiled peppers with the meat mixture and place them back onto the baking sheet. Top each pepper with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
  7. Place the stuffed peppers back in the oven and broil for one minute or until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.
  8. Serve the peppers hot, topped with warmed gravy.

NOTES

*The recipe photo shows multiple colors of peppers but our family’s favorite was by far the green peppers as they have a more savory flavor than the more ripe red, orange and yellow.

**I used ground turkey for this recipe, but you may also use a pound of finely chopped leftover roasted turkey from your Thanksgiving dinner.

As a wife and mom of three young boys, I often consider myself a master “chaos coordinator.” Between running our family business, Chapel Hill Toffee, managing our household and balancing busy schedules, I love to create quick and simple recipes that I know my family will enjoy – and my kids will actually eat!

My recipes are more of a guide than a perfect plan. I will always encourage you to use what you have on hand and make substitutions to suit your tastes. I invite you to share your own ideas, questions and final products with us on Facebook  and on Instagram by tagging @christybgraves and @wchlchapelboro.

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