If you are looking for a healthy dinner idea, these cheesy gluten free stuffed peppers are so worth a try. These stuffed peppers are full of flavor! You will love that this simple stuffed peppers recipe is ready in just 30 minutes!
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Why This Recipe Is Great:
- You will love this gluten-free stuffed pepper recipe because stuffed peppers are quick and easy to make.
- You can make them ahead and bake them when you are ready to have them for dinner!
- Dinner can be ready in under 30 minutes!
- Ground turkey is often much cheaper than ground beef, so this is a great recipe if you stick to a gluten free budget.
- Ground turkey is also healthier and low-fat, and kids love the flavor.
This recipe is like turkey meatloaf baked in pepper! We take dinner seriously here, so if you need more dinner inspiration, check out some of these gluten free dinner recipes.
Ingredient Notes:
- Ground Meat - I used ground turkey, but you can also use ground beef, pork, or chicken!
- Bell Peppers - These are the vessels that hold your meat! Use any color you can find. Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers tend to be a little sweeter than green peppers. Mr. Fearless Dining loves stuffed green peppers better, but the kids like sweeter yellow and red peppers :-).
- Gluten Free Bread Crumbs or Panko - Either works well, or get creative and try smooshed gluten free pretzels! You can also make homemade Gluten Free Bread Crumbs.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes - I love Trader Joe's in the olive oil. Make sure the ones you use are not too tough.
- Shredded Cheese - I used a Mexican blend, but you can use cheddar or mozzarella.
🔪 Step By Step Recipe Directions:
Step 1: Wash your bell peppers. With a sharp knife, cut around the stem, about one inch away from the stem. Lift the top off and pull out the seeds to hollow the inside. The other option is to cut the pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stem from the halves.
Step 2: Make the meat filling. Add ground turkey, egg, gluten free panko, scallions, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes to a large mixing bowl. Use a large fork to mix it all together.
Step 3: This is a photo of the mixed meat filling.
Step 4: Use a large spoon to add the gluten free meat mixture to the bell peppers. Fill each pepper up.
Step 5: Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top of each pepper. Place in an 8x8 dish if you are making four whole stuffed peppers as I did, or use a 9x13 baking dish if you cut your peppers in half.
Step 6: Place the baking pan of gluten free stuffed peppers into the oven and bake them at 375º F for 30-35 minutes. The size of the peppers really determines how long your recipe will need to bake. If your bell peppers are tall, you will need to bake them for longer.
A good way to test to see if the peppers are done baking is to insert a digital meat thermometer into each pepper. You want the internal temperature to be 165º F if you are making turkey, or 160º F if you are using ground beef.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ:
What kind of gluten free panko is best?
There are several great gluten free panko brands out there. Ian's, 4C, and Kikkoman both make gluten free ones.
TIP: If you can't find gluten free panko, you can use regular gluten free breadcrumbs, Trader Joe's Rice Crumbs instead, or make gluten free bread crumbs from scratch.
You can use any ground meat you like in this stuffed pepper recipe. You can use ground beef, ground bison, ground pork, or ground chicken meat.
You do not have to brown the meat before stuffing the peppers for this recipe. In fact, the flavors all blend while cooking together, and it is much better if you cook the meat inside the bell peppers.
I am all for easy. Blanching involved dropping the peppers into boiling water, and that is an extra step that is not needed for this recipe.
You can easily make these stuffed peppers gluten free by using a dairy-free cheese. I like using VioLife or Daiya brands dairy-free cheese.
If you want a little spicer twist, why not try this recipe like this stuffed poblano peppers recipe?
More Kid-Friendly Dinner Recipes:
Here are some of our family's favorite gluten free dinner recipes.
- This homemade gluten-free fried chicken recipe is one of the most popular on the blog, and for good reason, it is crisp and delicious.
- This mild Gluten Free Curried Chicken Pot Pie is a big hit for dinner.
- Kids love this delicious cheesy Gluten Free Ziti Casserole. It is just like lasagna but with pasta.
Recipe
Gluten Free Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey breast meat is leanest
- 4 bell peppers top and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
- ¼ cup Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup gluten free panko * see note
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black ground pepper
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- In a large bowl, mix all ingredients (except peppers.)
- Wash peppers. Use a knife to carefully remove the tops and remove the seeds. You can also cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds if you prefer.
- Scoop stuffing into each pepper then top with more cheese.
- Put in a baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until done. Baking time will vary by the size and depth of the peppers.
- Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. For ground turkey or chicken fillings, you want the internal temperature to be 165º F. For ground beef the internal temperature should read 160º F.
Notes
- You can use any ground meat for this stuffed peppers recipe. We have used ground beef, pork, and chicken.
- You can use any color bell pepper. Red, orange, and yellow peppers tend to be sweeter than green peppers.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use dairy-free cheese like Daiya.
- You can use gluten free panko, bread crumbs, or something fun like crushed pretzels or corn tortilla chips. You can also make your own gluten free bread crumbs.
- You do not have to blanch the peppers before stuffing them.
- Test the peppers to see if they are done baking by inserting a meat thermometer into a pepper. If the pepper is 165 F degrees, your peppers are finished baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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(*This recipe was updated from an older March 2015 post.)
Darlene @ Dip Recipe Creations
I love my ground beef, but really need to give ground turkey another try in something like this. These look great. Oh and I love Trader Joe's sun dried tomatoes too!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you are going to give it another try. What would we do without those awesome sun-dried tomatoes?
Emily
These look so delicious, I love having these the next day for lunch too so yummy!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you so much Emily, glad you have some leftovers from this recipe too!
Brian Jones
The look and sound fantastic, I love stuffing peppers, such a fulfilling but simple meal.
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you love stuffed peppers Brian. It is a wonderfully easy dish for a simple dinner 🙂