Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe with ground turkey and uncooked quinoa for a quick one-pot dinner or freezer meal. So meaty, juicy, and flavorful, served with plain yogurt.
Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers recipe with ground turkey and uncooked quinoa for a quick one-pot dinner or freezer meal. So meaty, juicy, and flavorful, served with plain yogurt.
- Carbohydrate 34.7209944801211 g
- Cholesterol 98.2783468333333 mg
- Fat 6.94814553293941 g
- Fiber 5.45527457541311 g
- Protein 41.5725044136494 g
- Saturated Fat 1.75666837291194 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (409g)
- Sodium 486.78569729875 mg
- Sugar 29.265719904708 g
- Trans Fat 1.01072889533135 g
- Calories 368 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut the tops off of peppers and remove + discard the seeds. From the cut off tops remove and discard “the tail” and chop the tops (nothing goes to waste). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add ground turkey, uncooked quinoa, soy sauce, oregano, thyme, basil, salt, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper.
- On Instant Pot, press Sauté and preheat until it says Hot. Swirl oil to coat, add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped pepper pieces and sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Press Cancel and transfer sautéed veggies to the bowl with other ingredients. Using a spatula, mix all ingredients really well. Stuff the peppers diving the filling between them equally.
- In an Instant Pot, add water and place the rack inside. Arrange 1 layer of peppers and top with half of the tomato sauce. Lay remaining peppers and top with remaining sauce. Close the lid, turn release vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cooking for 15 minutes on High.
- After peppers are cooked, turn the valve to Quick Release and release the pressure. Serve with plain yogurt and juices from the bottom of the pot (turkey baster is the best to suck those up).
Home cooks frequently pack stuffed peppers with fully pre-cooked grains, resulting in a mushy internal texture once the pressure cycle concludes. Utilizing uncooked quinoa inside the raw ground turkey filling allows the tiny pseudograin to absorb moisture directly from the meat juices and tomato sauce during sealing. Mixing the dry grains thoroughly with soy sauce, dried herbs, and spices ensures every single seed hydrates evenly while trapped inside the cavity. When building the layers inside the stainless steel insert, arrange the stuffed vegetables securely so they do not tip over and spill their contents during the 15 minutes of high pressure cooking. While ground turkey provides a lean protein base, ground chicken or a plant-based alternative can substitute at a one-to-one ratio without altering the required liquid volume. Sautéing the chopped onion and salvaged pepper trimmings on the sauté setting beforehand develops foundational depth before the pressure builds. Extracting the accumulated cooking liquids from the base of the pot with a turkey baster creates a concentrated au jus for spooning over the finished portions alongside plain yogurt. Allowing the pressure to release immediately via the quick release valve prevents the bell peppers from over-softening into a dull, collapsed state. Storing leftovers in an airtight container within the refrigerator for up to three days maintains food safety standards while concentrating the herbal aromatics.
