Korean-Style Turkey Stuffed Sweet Peppers (Printable)

Sweet mini peppers filled with savory Korean-seasoned turkey and melted cheese make a colorful, satisfying meal.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 16 to 20 mini sweet peppers, halved and seeded
02 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small carrot, finely grated

→ Meat

05 - 1 pound ground turkey

→ Sauces and Seasonings

06 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce, gluten-free if needed
07 - 1 tablespoon gochujang Korean red chili paste
08 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
09 - 2 teaspoons honey
10 - 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
11 - 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Dairy

12 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Garnish

13 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
14 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange halved mini sweet peppers cut side up.
02 - Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and sliced green onions. Sauté for approximately 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add ground turkey to the skillet and cook while breaking apart with a spoon until no pink remains, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
04 - Stir in grated carrot, soy sauce, gochujang, honey, and black pepper. Continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until well combined and slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
05 - Spoon the turkey mixture evenly into each pepper half, gently pressing down to ensure proper filling distribution.
06 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the stuffed peppers.
07 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly golden and peppers are tender.
08 - Remove from oven and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped fresh herbs if desired. Serve warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The gochujang gives you that addictive umami kick without requiring a grocery store hunt for obscure ingredients.
  • You can have these on the table in under an hour, making them perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that feels special.
  • They're naturally gluten-free if you grab the right soy sauce, so there's one less thing to worry about when cooking for mixed diets.
02 -
  • If your turkey mixture is watery, that means the turkey was releasing too much moisture and you need to cook it down longer on the stove before stuffing to avoid soggy peppers.
  • The cheese doesn't need to be dark brown to be perfect, just melted and barely golden, because overcooked cheese gets rubbery and separates.
03 -
  • Buy your peppers the day before cooking and let them sit in the fridge so they have that ideal firm-but-tender texture when they come out of the oven.
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry skillet for two minutes right before serving to unlock their nutty flavor and make them actually taste like something instead of just sitting on top as decoration.
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