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Active prep time (to make filling): 20 minutes
Inactive prep time (for baking peppers): 25-30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked basmati rice (per manufacturer’s directions), set aside to cool
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces dark ground turkey or ground beef
1 small yellow onion, peeled and finely minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely minced
1/2 of a medium zucchini, finely minced
2 whole peeled tomatoes (canned), puréed in a blender
Salt, ground black pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 red bell peppers, cut in half vertically, stems discarded
One glass or porcelain baking dish (to hold 4 bell pepper halves)
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Prepare the Filling:
1. After you have cooked the rice and set it aside to cool, in a 4-quart saucepot, heat the olive oil (DO NOT LET IT SMOKE).
2. When oil is hot, add the ground turkey or beef; using a wooden spoon, break up the meat.
3. On medium-high heat, cook and stir the meat, breaking it up, for about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. When meat has turned brown, stir in the minced onion, carrot and zucchini; stir and cook on medium for about 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
5. At this point, stir in the puréed tomatoes; cook on medium-low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes. The ground meat mixture has finished cooking when the liquid has reduced slightly.
6. When cooked, stir ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper; taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
7. Preheat oven to 375°F and transfer the meat mixture to a glass or porcelain bowl; let it cool until it is slightly warm.
Fill and Bake the Peppers:
1. Using a large spoon, gently stir 1 cup of the cooked rice into the meat mixture; add 1 tablespoon olive oil and gently mix.
2. Taste the rice/meat mixture; if needed, adjust salt and pepper level. If you want to add more rice, you can add the remaining ½ cup.
3. Spoon the rice/meat filling in each of the four (4) red bell pepper halves. When stuffed, the peppers/filling should have rounded tops. If there is leftover filling, it can be reheated the next day and enjoyed by itself.
4. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil to the baking dish.
5. Place each stuffed pepper half (pepper-side down) in oiled baking dish.
6. Cover the baking dish with foil and place on an oven rack which is set at center of preheated oven.
7. Bake the stuffed peppers for 25 minutes.
8. After 25 minutes, using a small spoon, scoop out filling at center of one pepper; taste. If it is hot, peppers are ready to be served. If not, bake for an additional 5-6 minutes.
9. Serve the Stuffed Peppers with a green salad or other vegetable side dish. Garnish with basil leaves.
Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc (white), Cabernet Sauvignon (red).
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real
Nancy DeLucia Real is an art historian and chef. She has led culinary courses at the Italian Cultural Institute, The Getty Center and The Getty Villa and is a former member of the Culinary Historians of Southern California. Nancy's gastronomy training took place in the heart of Italy under the tutelage of her grandmother. She has taught international cuisine at Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table Stores. Nancy's art history & culinary courses are ongoing at various institutions. She also teaches private cooking classes. 
