Want your little ones to eat more veggies? Presentation is key. Try making these cute and tasty “turtles” with your kiddos—it’s the perfect recipe for a rainy day activity or when you need some help making vegetables enticing. I used bell peppers, okra and tomatoes, but feel free to swap in any other colorful produce picks like okra, carrots, or sugar snap peas.

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Smokey Pepper “Turtles”

Want your little ones to eat more veggies? Presentation is key. Try making these cute and tasty “turtles” with your kiddos.
Servings: 4 turtles
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes, left whole
  • 10 to 12 oz fresh okra pods, cut off the stem end and the pod in half*
  • 1 orange bell pepper, seeded, cut into strips
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • teaspoon ground black pepper

For turtle shells and body:

  • 2 orange, yellow or red bell peppers, halved and seeded (for the turtle shells)
  • 4 large cherry or grape tomatoes, for the head
  • *May replace Okra with 2 medium zucchini, diced

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large sauté pan, over high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes, toss in the oil and then let them sit in one spot, undisturbed for a few minutes, to blister. Shake once and let them sit again. The skins will start to break. Remove them to a bowl and put aside while you cook the peppers and okra.
  • To the same pan, add the bell pepper pieces, misting with oil spray if the pan becomes too dry. Add the okra and toss everything to distribute the oil. Let the veggies cook for a minute or two, then add the garlic, salt, paprika and black pepper.
  • Toss everything so the garlic can cook and the spices can spread out. Add back the blistered tomatoes and continue to sauté until the okra is tender. Cover with a lid if that helps keep it from getting too dry (Or add extra oil spray as needed to keep everything moving and not burning). Season with salt and pepper to taste!

To assemble the turtles:

  • Place bell pepper halves on a plate, cut side up. Fill the cavity with the sautéed okra-pepper-tomato mixture. Use a cherry grape tomato for a head, and place 2 pointy ended okra pieces for front “hands” and 2 stubby okra pieces for the “feet.”

Notes

Nutrition provided for 1 “turtle.”

Nutrition Information per serving

Calories: 110Carbohydrates: 11gProtein: 3gTotal Fat: 7g— Unsaturated Fat: 6g— Saturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 135mgFiber: 4gTotal Sugar: 6g— Natural Sugar: 6g— Added Sugar: 0g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.
I’m hoping you loved this recipe! If you made it and want to share feedback, I’d be so grateful to hear from you. Please leave a review below or tag @joybauer on Instagram!