Turkey Stuffed Peppers (Healthy)

I remember when I was little, and my Mom would make stuffed green peppers. I loved the flavor, but didn't like the actual pepper. So when I saw this recipe on the Skinny Ms website, I thought "I can do this. Sort of". :) To be clear, I have NO idea what a Patty Pan squash is...none. But I did have an acorn squash I wanted to try in an actual recipe, and 1 lb of ground turkey I wanted to use, so I made a few adjustments and then off I went! 

Stuffed Peppers

1 cup of beef broth

1/2 cup of quinoa

6 Bell Peppers (any color you like)

2 TBSP avocado oil (or olive oil)

1 acorn squash - diced

1 small sweet onion-chopped

3 cloves of garlic-minced

1lb Ground Turkey (Or lean ground beef if you don't like turkey)

1 cup Parmesan cheese (leave out if Paleo or pure Clean)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring 1 cup of beef broth to a boil. Add quinoa and cook for 10-15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed and then set aside while preparing the rest of the recipe. 

Heat 2 TBSP of oil in a pan. Add onions, acorn squash and garlic and cook until tender...about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until completely browned.  Turn the pan off and add quinoa, parm cheese and salt/pepper and stir until combined. Spoon into peppers (approx 3/4 cup per pepper). Place into a greased baking dish and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes or until bell peppers are as soft as you like. Eat up! 

You could also make this a meat-free dish if you just use more squash in place of the meat.  We have only prepared acorn squash on the grill with a little olive oil and garlic salt, but it was great in this dish. Added some bulk and veggie content without actually changing the flavor. I read somewhere that the smaller the acorn squash (smoother ridges), the milder the taste. I plan to use acorn squash in place of potatoes in another recipe soon, and of course I will share :)