My friendships with Greek gals have led to a ton of fun over the years. I have had the honor of being in the bridal party of not one, but two, big fat Greek weddings. And whether it is a gigantic wedding or a small get together, my Greek friends don’t mess around when it comes to good food.
These days, I have had a hankering for Greek fare at home, and enjoy introducing my toddler to Mediterranean flavors. My friend Niki shared her family’s stuffed pepper recipe with me. Her version calls for beef, which is delicious, but my little guy is a big fan of turkey, so I decided to try that instead.
This recipe packs a big punch by combining poultry and rice in one convenient pepper mobile. We have made it without the potatoes, and it feels like a complete meal, but come on, who can say no to buttery potatoes?
We stuck with the good ol’ green variety of peppers this time, but you can bring more color to the party by opting for red, yellow or orange. Cermak Fresh Market on Damen usually has a huge variety of peppers to choose from. We have melted cheese on top of these bad boys, and I swear one day, when my smiley little guy is not hugging my leg, I will manage to sprinkle fresh herbs on top.
The peppers reheat well and are ideal for a second dinner or an easy-to-pack lunch. And while I encourage you to make this dish your own, do not skip the clove and cinnamon. This seasoning makes the dish!
Nosh away!
Greek stuffed peppers with buttery potatoes
Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (Inactive time: 45 minutes)
Servings: 6
Ingredients – stuffed peppers:
6 green peppers
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon clove, ground
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
Salt
Ground black pepper
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 ounces) of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup rice, cooked
1/4 cup of oil
Ingredients – buttery potatoes:
6 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt
Ground black pepper
2 teaspoons oregano
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put butter in baking pan to melt while you prep potatoes and onions. Toss potatoes in melted butter and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
Cut tops off of peppers and remove seeds, place peppers on a baking pan and put pan in oven. This step is to start softening the peppers before they are stuffed.
Saute turkey on the stove with onions till they are cooked then add clove, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes along with oil. Add rice and cook the mix for 10 min while stirring occasionally.
Stuff the peppers and set aside any extra rice mix to serve with the potatoes or stash for for a snack.
Bake peppers and potatoes for 45 minutes.
The peppers are pretty filling, so one with potatoes could be great for each person, or you could really go for it and have two. Add a sprinkle of oregano to the potatoes and enjoy!
