Fall ushers in the season of casseroles: Comfort food baked in an oven to warm your body and feed your soul. I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of my neighbor’s bountiful backyard garden: heirloom tomatoes, mini bell peppers, zucchinis galore.
What to do with all these bright, beautiful harvest vegetables? Stuffed peppers.
Here’s a little quirk about me: I love stuffed peppers but I don’t actually much care for the peppers. Bell peppers are something I’ve trained myself to tolerate, and while I vastly prefer them cooked to raw, the actual pepper part of the stuffed pepper sometimes get pushed aside on my plate and left for composting.
But if the peppers are cut up into small pieces, it’s another story. Small chopped pepper also eliminates the tedious process of stuffing the peppers with the filling before baking. With these goals in mind, I experimented in the kitchen one afternoon, and by experimented, I mean that I threw all of my available summer harvest vegetables into my food processor and pulsed the Chop button until everything was pulverized.
This grain-free summer harvest stuffed pepper bake is the result. There’s lots of room for customization here based on what you have in the house, but the portobello mushrooms are essential. They add an earthy, rice-like texture so that you don’t even miss the traditional white or brown rice of stuffed peppers.
I dotted my casserole with fresh mozzarella balls that melted into gooey goodness as the casserole baked, but if you are looking for a dairy-free option, these can definitely be omitted. You won’t miss it.
Fill that food processor with all the veggies you need to use up, and let’s get chopping.
Grain-Free Harvest Stuffed Pepper Bake
Clean Eating | Grain-Free | Dairy-Free Option | Veggie Rich
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey 93% lean preferred
- 1 large green pepper
- 12-15 mini bell peppers (1 bag)
- 1 zucchini
- 2 portobello mushroom caps
- 15 grape tomatoes, halved or quartered (I used heirloom grape tomatoes)
- 1 12-oz jar Trader Joe's Trader Giotto's Bruschetta
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 mini mozzarella balls (optional)
- Fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare casserole dish by spraying lightly with olive oil spray.
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Cook ground turkey on the stovetop. Drain fat and set aside.
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In large pot on stovetop, bring 1 cup Trader Joe's Trader Giotto's Bruschetta and 3 cloves garlic to a simmer over medium heat.
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Wash and seed green pepper and mini bell peppers. Add to food processor and chop.
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Add chopped bell peppers to pot and simmer.
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Use food processor to chop zucchini and portobello mushrooms (separately or together depending on size of your food processor and your vegetables).
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Add chopped zucchini and mushrooms to pot and continue to simmer.
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Halve or quarter grape tomatoes (depending on size). Add to pot and continue to simmer.
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Add ground turkey and remainder of Trader Joe's Trader Giotto's Bruschetta to the pot. Bring back to a steady simmer and stir occasionally until all vegetables are softened. If mixture becomes too dry, add 1/2 cup water.
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Transfer vegetable mixture from pot into 9 x 13 casserole dish.
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Dot casserole with fresh mini mozzarella balls.
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Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until top of casserole is slightly crispy and mozzarella is melted.
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Sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and serve.
I waited all summer long to be able to start using my oven again for savory fall dinners, and this easy grain-free stuffed pepper bake didn’t disappoint.
The Trader Giotto’s Bruschetta is what brings the casserole together. Just another example of how good old TJ’s makes dinnertime easy and flavorful. For another clean, easy dinner with Trader Joe’s goodness, try my Chile-Lime Salmon Taco Bowls.
What’s your favorite casserole? Share your casserole recipes with #NeverDoneWithFun or drop me a comment below.
