Sausage and Spinach Stuffed Peppers

I found a recipe that inspired me to make a little healthier version of these Sausage Stuffed Peppers.  The original recipe called for sausage taken out of the casing.  To clean it up a bit, I used 85% lean ground turkey and added some spices to make it taste like sausage.


3 medium sized yellow peppers, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

2 cups fresh baby spinach

1 pound 85% lean ground turkey

2 tbsp olive oil

1 and 1/2 tbsp garlic

1/2 medium  onion

3/4 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 and 1/2 tbsp fennel seed

2 tbsp goat cheese, optional

parmesan cheese, optional


Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the cleaned and seeded yellow peppers in a glass pan.  In frying pan, heat the oil and add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Then add garlic and red pepper flakes.  I used about 3/4 tbsp of the red pepper flakes and it did give the meat a nice spicy flavor.  If you do not like spicy, add a little less or if you like very spicy add a little more.  Next, add the ground turkey. Cook the ground turkey until there is no pink left, then add the fennel seed.  Cook for just another 2 minutes.  Add the spinach and goat cheese until spinach is wilted and cheese melts into the meat mixture.  When this is done, spoon into peppers evenly.  Place in oven for 30 minutes if you like the peppers a little more tender.  If you like a firmer texture for the peppers, I would bake for 20 minutes.  You can top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese when they are finished.  Enjoy!!