Ragu Stuffed Peppers

Hello, rich turkey ragu stuffed peppers with couscous and asiago cheese!

I'm kind of obsessed with stuffed peppers. I'm honestly not too sure why but I think it's due to the fact that I keep finding such good recipes for them. I am trying to remember the last time I was disappointed by a stuffed pepper and I don't think it exists. What I really enjoy about this recipe is that there's ground turkey instead of beef (a substitute we've made a lot recently to try and limit red meat) and it was our first experience with couscous - which I think was a hit for all of us. I also have never really used asiago cheese on its own (always in an Italian mix) and really enjoyed it by itself. The ragu in this recipe is actually from a pasta recipe that I've posted previously on a different blog (and is linked at the bottom of this post) so I knew it would be great. All of the parts combined made for a wonderful stuffed pepper recipe.

(Print)
What you need:
For the ragu:

• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 small carrot,finely diced
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whole milk

For the peppers:

• 4 bell peppers (mix of red and yellow), halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup cooked couscous
• 3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese, divided
• 4 tsp. red wine vinegar, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped 
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Directions:

1. For the ragu: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and rosemary and cook until golden about 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add ground turkey with salt and pepper and cook until browned.
3. Add tomatoes, milk, 1 cup water, and salt to taste. 
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
5. For the peppers: Mix together 3 cups ragu, couscous, 1/2 cup asiago cheese, 3 tsp. vinegar, parsley, and salt to taste.
6. Whisk together olive oil, 1 tsp. vinegar, tomato paste, and 3/4 cup water. Place in the bottom of a baking dish.
7. Place peppers in the baking dish and fill with ragu mixture. Top with remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese.
8. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Recipe from Food Network Magazine

The ragu recipe is originally from a pasta recipe from Food Network Magazine. I slightly adapted it and shared it back when I was a contributor on Knoxville Moms Blog: Penne with Turkey Ragu. One of my favorite stuffed pepper recipes is one I shared in spring of last year: Cilantro Lime Turkey Stuffed Peppers.