The festive season may be now a distant memory, but turkey shouldn’t be. After all, there’s more to this Christmas lunch centrepiece than meets the eye – and this recipe proves it.

Stuffed peppers (a vegetable that naturally contains one of the highest levels of vitamin C to support your immune system) with turkey and kale ticks a lot of nutritious boxes. While the protein and nutrients help with cell regrowth and muscle recovery, this hearty supper allows your body to absorb the kale’s iron to keep your energy levels up during winter’s grey days.

Given we all have extra time on our hands at the moment, ignore the siren call of Deliveroo and make this instead – your health and your bank account will thank you.

½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ cup yellow onion, diced (about ½ onion)

¼ cup jalapeños, diced (approx. 1 jalapeño)

16 oz ground turkey

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

1 cup kale, chopped

1 package Taco Skillet Sauce (or something comparable), roasted tomato & green chile flavour 

4 orange bell pepper, top cut off and cored

½ tsp reduced-sodium chicken base

¼ cup water

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°.
2. While the oven is pre-heating. work on the filling for the peppers. Heat a large pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and then immediately add the diced onions and jalapeños. Cook them in the oil for three minutes.
3. Add the ground turkey to the pan. Season the turkey with the black pepper and garlic powder. Using a heavy spatula, break up the ground turkey into smaller pieces, mixing in with the onions and jalapeños. Stir frequently and continue to break up the turkey for seven minutes.
4. Add the chopped kale and taco sauce packet to the ground turkey mixture. Stir everything together until well-combined. Then put the lid on the pan, turn the heat to a simmer and cook for an additional three minutes.
5. Remove the lid and scoop the turkey and kale mixture into each of the cored bell peppers. Place the stuffed peppers “standing up” into a baking dish. The baking dish should be small enough to hold the peppers tight and compact together.
6. In a small bowl mix together the chicken base and water. Then pour one tablespoon of chicken base liquid over the top or into each of the stuffed peppers (If you do not have chicken base, substitute 1/4 cup chicken stock instead of the chicken base and water). The liquid adds a little moisture and prevents the turkey from drying out while baking.
7. Bake at 350’° for 20 minutes.

Recipe and image courtesy of Jenn from adashofmacros.com

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