Brown Rice Casserole with Turkey, Peppers, Mushrooms, and Feta

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
• 6 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. brown Cremini mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped into smallish pieces
• 1 green pepper, seeds removed and chopped into smallish pieces
• 1 tsp. Greek seasoning
• 1 tsp. Greek oregano
• 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup crumbled Feta
• 8 oz. grated Mozzarella

Directions

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions. (I cooked the maximum amount in my Zojirushi 3-Cup Rice Cooker (affiliate link) and froze the extra for another time.)
2. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
3. Spray a glass or crockery casserole dish with non-stick spray. (I used my favorite 12 cup glass casserole dish, but you can also use a rectangular dish and make a slightly flatter casserole.)
4. Wash mushrooms if needed and cut into thick slices or half slices.
5. Heat about 2 tsp. oil in a large non-stick frying pan and saute the mushrooms over medium-high heat until they’re slightly browned and all liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
6. Put mushrooms into a large plastic bowl.
7. Heat a little more oil in the frying pan, add the chopped onion and green pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until the onion and peppers are starting to slightly brown.
8. Add the Greek seasoning and Greek oregano and cook about 1 minute more.
9. Add the vegetables to the mushrooms in the bowl.
10. Heat a little more oil in the pan, add the ground turkey, and cook over medium-high heat until the turkey is nicely browned and any water that’s released has completely evaporated. (Nearly all ground turkey will release some water, even if you buy high-quality ground-in-store turkey.)
11. This will take about 10 minutes; don’t rush the browning.
12. Season the turkey with a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper and break apart with a turner as it cooks. (I like to use a potato masher to break the cooked turkey into small pieces.)
13. Add the browned turkey to the bowl with the vegetables.
14. Stir the cooked brown rice into the turkey/vegetable mixture.
15. In a small bowl mix together the low-fat sour cream, chicken stock, crumbled Feta, and 3/4 cup of the reduced-fat Mozzarella.
16. Gently mix the sour cream mixture into the rice/meat/vegetables mixture.
17. Put it into the sprayed casserole dish and spread around so it’s slightly pressed down and flat.
18. Top with the other 1 1/4 cups grated low-fat Mozzarella.
19. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then remove the lid (or foil) and bake another 20 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and the whole casserole is bubbling.
20. Serve hot.