Chef notes
Stuffing peppers with stuffing? Absolutely! Thanksgiving leftovers are even better when you change up their flavor profile a bit. Here, velvety béchamel sauce and melty cheeses give stuffing, turkey and green bean casserole an Italian-inspired twist.
Technique tip: Make the night before to have dinner the next day ready in a snap.
Swap option: Can swap out the turkey for your favorite meat or keep out to remain vegetarian.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1¾ cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Grated nutmeg, to taste
- 2 cups chopped leftover stuffing
- 2 cups shredded turkey
- 1 cup leftover green bean casserole (optional)
- 2 cups béchamel, room temperature (recipe above)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1½ cups grated mozzarella, divided
- 2 eggs
- 6 red bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- Crispy onions, to garnish
Preparation
For the béchamel:
Warm the butter in a 1-quart sauce pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add in the flour and cook for about 5 minutes stirring constantly until the roux is nutty and aromatic but no color. Whisk in the milk stirring constantly until the sauce begins to thicken. Once the sauce comes to a boil remove from the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and reserve.
For the stuffed peppers:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped stuffing, shredded turkey, green bean casserole (if using), béchamel, grated Parmesan, grated Pecorino Romano and 1 cup of mozzarella with the eggs.
3.Cut the top 1/4-inch off the bell peppers and clean out the inside of any remaining seeds. Stuff the peppers evenly with the stuffing mixture and transfer to an appropriately sized baking dish.
4.Top the peppers with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until peppers are tender and center filling is hot. Remove the foil and continue to bake an additional 15 minutes to lightly brown the top of the bell peppers.
5.Garnish with chopped parsley and crispy onions and serve. For extra presentation and sauce, place 2 tablespoons of béchamel on the bottom of the plate and place the cooked stuffed pepper on top.
