Thanksgiving leftovers transformed! A quick medley of flavors stuffed into sweet mini peppers make for tasty little dip-able bites perfect for an appetizer or snack. Little bites like these are soooo welcome after a big day of feasting when we all want to eat a little lighter for a little while.
Don’t get me wrong … I’m all into having a slice of pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving, but given the huge feast we had yesterday, I’m definitely ready to eat something lighter and little! Something that uses up some of the abundance of the big feast is even better. So I took a bit of that big Thanksgiving feast and stuffed it into some little sweet mini peppers.
How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was pretty amazing, full of good food, the whole family all together, drinking good wine, playing cards and talking and overall just enjoying each others’ company. As it always happens when all my family is together, there were noisy dogs “playing”, some loud voices (not angry, just loud!) and one who drank a bit too much, but overall, it was great to be together and to see everyone … plus one! My oldest niece brought her boyfriend and we all adore him. He’s a good kid … and going into engineering so no wonder my dad and I immediately took to him. We had a little challenge finding table space for everyone, but my son stepped in and volunteered to eat at the island, and my other youngling agreed to sit with him. My sister made sure they had a nicely set “table” and a little gravy boat all to themselves.
Other Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas
In years past, I’ve made some real gems with our leftovers from Gobble Day:
- Broccoli cheddar stuffin muffins
- Thanksgiving stuffed mushrooms
- Cranberry turkey salad with candied walnuts
- Turkey Zucchini-ladas
- White “Chicken” Chili (made with leftover turkey!)
So today it seems like it’s definitely time to stuff the Thanksgiving leftovers from the feast into peppers! This recipe is super adaptable … you can throw in just about any leftovers you have along in there. Use corn in place of the carrots, switch out the mashed potato for wild rice, green bean casserole or leftover stuffing if you like. Change up the herbs to your liking. Spoon some cranberry sauce over top. Make the bites a bit more fun and kid friendly by adding olive slices for eyes and a slice of pepper for a mouth. This is a great place to play with your food!
What to use for dipping sauce?
These stuffed peppers are delightful on their own, even without a dipping sauce, but serving them with a good sauce makes it all the more fun. Here are some ideas I think you’ll love:
- Your favorite ranch – or better yet, Sriracha ranch, avocado ranch, or if you are so inclined, BBQ ranch
- Marinara sauce or creamy good vodka sauce
- Spanish Romesco Sauce
- Southern comeback sauce – the sauce that southerners love for dipping
Turkey, Potato & Broccoli Stuffed Peppers
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 45 min
- Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 4 baby carrots, chopped
- 1 mini sweet pepper, chopped
- 4 – 6 broccoli florets with stems, thawed & chopped
- 1 medium golden potato, cooked and lightly mashed – or 1/2 cup of leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 oz. Greek cream cheese or Neufchatel
- 1 – 2 Tablespoons creamy fennel dressing (recipe here) or ranch
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for the tops
- Salt, freshly ground pepper, and dried dill, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped or shredded leftover turkey (or chicken)
For stuffing:
- 6 – 8 more mini sweet peppers, for stuffing
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion in the oil until soft and translucent, then stir in the carrots, chopped pepper, broccoli. Stir and cook for a few minutes more until the broccoli and carrots are crisp tender.
- Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir to mix, cooking until the cheese is melted. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Prep the peppers by slicing them lengthwise, then removing any seeds or membranes. Scoop the filling into the pepper halves. Set the peppers close together on a baking sheet covered with silicon baking mat. Sprinkle the peppers with cheese.
- Bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender. Let cool slightly then enjoy with your choice of dipping sauce.
Notes
© Copyright 2021, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Keywords: Turkey, Leftovers, Healthy, Appetizers
