Sloppy joe stuffed peppers

I had three beautiful peppers that just screamed “stuffed peppers”. I also started going through old September issues of Everyday Food and came across a recipe for turkey sloppy joes. I decided these two ideas needed to be combined. A quick search online shows a plethora of sloppy joe stuffed pepper recipes, so I certainly cannot take credit for the idea. 

I used the cooking instructions from Host the Toast and adapted the sloppy joe mixture from the Everyday Food recipe. This would probably work well in the slow cooker, but I didn’t want to risk another 10-hour fiasco a la my attempt at kielbasa and cabbage.

Naked pepper halves

Sloppy joe stuffed peppers
Serves: 3
Adapted from Host the Toast and Everyday Food, September 2007

Ingredients
3 bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large carrot, coarsely grated (2 cups)
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

Getting ready to bake the stuffed peppers

2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Cheese makes everything better

2. In a large saucepan on the stove, heat oil over medium; add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add turkey; cook 4-5 minutes until no longer pink, breaking up meat with a spoon. Add crushed tomatoes, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook 12-14 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. While sloppy joe mixture is cooking, place the peppers, cut side up, in a baking pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly softened. Remove from oven.

5. Divide the sloppy joe mixture among the pepper halves and bake for 15 minutes. Top peppers with your favorite shredded cheese and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Enjoy!