Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Colorful bell peppers stuffed with a meat filling and topped with melted cheese.

4.06 from 17 votes

A delicious filling made with seasoned ground beef, rice, black beans, and corn is topped with cheese and baked inside pretty colored bell peppers. Mexican Stuffed Peppers are a vibrant, super tasty meal.

Prep Time5

Cook Time55

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 325kcal

Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

6 to 8 bell peppers any color
1 pound 85% to 90% lean ground beef
2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (or store-bought)
½ cup diced white or yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup cooked long grain white rice (see note below)
4 ounce can diced green chiles, drained
15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn (no need to thaw)
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
2 to 3 cups shredded cheese cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend, divided

Optional Toppings

Sour cream, thinly sliced green onion, chopped avocado, olives, chopped cilantro, diced tomato, salsa

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice tops off peppers, remove seeds and trim ribs, if necessary. Place peppers in a baking dish and add about 1-inch of water. Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until slightly tender. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the peppers from baking dish and pour off the water. Return the peppers to the empty baking dish.
While peppers are in the oven, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to a large saute pan and place over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring to break up the beef, until browned and cooked through. Drain off as much grease as possible from the pan.
Return the pan to MEDIUM heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, rice, green chiles, frozen corn, crushed red pepper (if using), and 1 cup of the cheese. Cook until combined and cheese has melted.
Fill the peppers with the beef mixture, packing it down and mounding it slightly. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes to 30 minutes, or until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through.
Remove the foil, top with remaining shredded cheese, and bake for an additional 5 minutes until cheese has melted.

Video

Notes

Yield: This recipe will make enough to fill 6 large or 8 medium sized bell peppers.

Rice: Start the rice before making the filling. To make it easy, use a microwaveable packet of long grain white rice. If cooking your own, use ½ cup rice to 1 cup water and cook according to the package directions.

Swaps: Feel free to make some or all of the following changes to suit your nutritional preferences:
- Substitute lean ground turkey for the ground beef
- Use brown rice in place of the white rice
- Reduce or eliminate the cheese in the filling

Nutrition