Why I stopped cooking rice for stuffed peppers
Having lived in San Antonio for four years, a week is never complete in my house without some form of Mexican food on the menu!
When the craving hits for tacos without the carbs, I make either some Mexican Stuffed Zucchini Boats or these Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers.
Almost every stuffed pepper recipe out there starts with a pot of rice. I skipped it one night because I did not feel like waiting on it, and honestly the peppers were better for it.
You get all of the delicious Southwest flavors like ground beef, salsa, and a homemade taco seasoning, minus the tortillas. Three things make it work: pre-baking the peppers so they turn tender, a potato masher for fine beef crumbles, and a full jar of salsa as the flavor base.
Plus, they can be dressed up with all your favorite taco toppings like guacamole, cilantro, or even a Lime Crema.
And for more peppers, don’t miss out on these Greek Stuffed Peppers, Crock-Pot Turkey Stuffed Peppers, or these Black Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers!
One of the most requested by my husband.
– Marijane H.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Bell peppers: Three medium peppers gets you six halves. Use all the same color or mix it up, and poblano peppers work if you want more of a spicy kick.
- Ground beef: A lean 90/10 or 85/15 is what I reach for. Ground turkey, chicken, or even venison can be subbed instead.
- Salsa: This is a quick way to give the peppers a lot of flavor, so grab a jar you actually like. Use mild if you don’t want it too spicy, medium for more heat, or a homemade Roasted Tomato Salsa if you have extra on hand.
- Taco seasoning: Use store-bought packets or make your own taco seasoning at home. Just make sure to adjust the amount of salt added accordingly.
- Black beans: If you’re using canned, make sure to rinse and drain them before adding them in. Pinto beans or red beans can also be substituted.
- Corn: Either canned, previously frozen, or fresh corn all work here. If you’re keeping carbs low, you can leave it out completely.
- Cheese: Both shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack taste great. You can also use a vegan and dairy-free alternative.
How to Make Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Prep the peppers.
Cut each bell pepper in half lengthwise starting at the stem end, then remove the ribs and seeds. Place them cut side up in a large baking dish, sprinkle each one with salt and pepper, and pour a little water into the bottom of the dish.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until they pierce easily with a fork.
Don’t skip the pre-bake. Green peppers especially have thick walls, so if you fill them raw they will still be crunchy by the time the filling is done.
Make the taco filling.
Sauté the onion in a little oil over medium heat until translucent, add the garlic for another minute, then push it all to the side and cook the ground beef until done.
Turn the heat to low and stir in the salsa, taco seasoning, black beans, and corn. Let it simmer a few minutes, then turn off the heat and mix in some of the cheese.
A potato masher beats a wooden spoon every time. Once the beef is cooked, mashing it breaks the meat into fine, even crumbles so the filling packs into the peppers instead of sitting in big chunks.
It saves SO much time!
Since it’s super important to get the garlic pretty small for this recipe, a garlic press like this one is a lifesaver!
It’s easy to use, finely minces the garlic, and does it in a fraction of the time as chopping it up by hand.
Fill and bake.
Pull the peppers out and carefully drain off any liquid that gathered inside them. Fill each half liberally with the meat mixture and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender.
Pack them fuller than feels right. The filling settles as it bakes, so a pepper that looks generously stuffed going in comes out looking like a proper dinner.
Top and serve.
Load them up with toppings to add some extra flavor. Guacamole, sour cream, roasted tomato salsa, cilantro, green onions, or simply sliced avocado all taste great here.
Oops! What did I do wrong?
My stuffed peppers taste bland.
Seasoning the filling but not the peppers themselves is usually what’s going on. A dash of salt and black pepper on each pepper half before it bakes brings out their natural flavor.
My peppers are still crunchy.
They didn’t get enough time before they were filled. Pre-baking them on their own for the full 20-25 minutes is what softens them all the way through.
Do I have to brown the meat first?
You don’t have to, and some recipes call for raw beef to be stuffed right into the peppers. But cooking the peppers and the meat separately is how you get everything cooked perfectly.
FAQs
They do not have one traditional Spanish name, and they are not chiles rellenos, which are poblanos that get battered and fried. Think of these as a taco filling baked into a bell pepper half. You will see them called taco stuffed peppers or Mexican style stuffed peppers too. The filling here is ground beef, salsa, taco seasoning, black beans, corn, and cheese, with no rice.
There isn’t one traditional Spanish name for them, and they aren’t chiles rellenos, which are poblano peppers that get battered and fried. You’ll most often see these called Mexican stuffed peppers, taco stuffed peppers, or Mexican style stuffed peppers.
Most versions do, but this one doesn’t. Black beans and corn give the filling the body that rice usually provides, so there’s nothing to cook ahead of time and no cauliflower rice standing in for it either.
Not boil, no. Pre-baking them in the oven with a little water in the bottom of the dish steams them tender, and you don’t end up with waterlogged peppers.
Make ahead: Prepare the peppers and the filling, then store them separately in the fridge for up to 2 days. Assemble and bake when you’re ready to eat.
Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Freezer: Fully cooked stuffed peppers keep in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. Fair warning, the peppers do soften more once they thaw, so they come out a little less firm than fresh.
To reheat: Bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through. You can also quickly warm them up in the microwave.
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Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
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Equipment
- Large Non-Stick Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers red, yellow, or green
- 2 tablespoons oil olive or avocado oil
- ½ sweet onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 pound ground beef 90/10*
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning homemade or store-bought
- ¼ teaspoon salt optional
- 1 cup salsa mild or medium heat
- 1 cup canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned corn drained
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, divided
To Serve:
- Cilantro finely chopped, optional
- sour cream optional
- Guacamole optional
Instructions
- Prep the Peppers: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, starting from the stem end. Remove and discard the ribs and seeds. Place the peppers cut side-up in a large baking dish and sprinkle with a dash of salt and pepper on each one. Fill the bottom of the dish with ⅓ cup of water. Bake peppers in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until they pierce easily with a fork.3 bell peppers
- Sauté the Onion: In a large skillet over medium heat add oil and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add the crushed garlic and continue sauteing for 1 minute.2 tablespoons oil, ½ sweet onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Cook the Meat: Push the onion to the side and add the ground meat. Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until it is cooked through. Use a potato masher to crumble the beef once cooked.1 pound ground beef
- Season and Simmer: Reduce the heat to low and add the salsa, taco seasoning, salt, black beans, and corn. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes, or until the corn and beans are heated through. Turn off the heat and mix in ½ cup cheese.2 tablespoons taco seasoning, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 cup salsa, 1 cup canned black beans, 1 cup canned corn, 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Fill the Peppers: Remove the peppers from the oven and carefully drain out any liquid that has gathered in them. Fill each pepper half liberally with the ground meat mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.1 cup cheddar cheese
- Bake and Serve: Bake in preheated oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender. Serve immediately with cilantro, sour cream, or guacamole. Enjoy!Cilantro, sour cream, Guacamole
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Video
Notes
- Peppers: Look for similar sizes, so they will cook up more evenly. And choose a variety of colors: not only does it make the presentation gorgeous, but you also get diverse flavors! Red and yellow peppers are a tad sweeter, while green peppers have a bit of a bite.
- Salt: A dash of salt and pepper on the inside of the peppers brings out their natural flavors when baked.
- Tools: Using a potato masher helps to break apart the ground meat into fine crumbles.
- Salsa: Add a medium-heat salsa and a little extra cayenne pepper to up the spice level.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What to serve with Mexican stuffed peppers
These are hearty enough to stand on their own, but a side or two turns them into a full plate.
Go for a classic and serve them with Cilantro Lime Rice or Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice. If you’re skipping the rice entirely, a Skillet Mexican Street Corn Salad is the move.
Corn Tortilla Quesadillas are great alongside these when you’re feeding a crowd, and a Mexican Quinoa Salad rounds things out if you want something fresh on the plate.
A little Lime Crema or Roasted Tomato Salsa spooned over the top is never a bad idea, either. And if you’re not watching carbs, these are also great served over a bed of white rice or quinoa.
More Easy Mexican Main Dish Recipes
If taco night needs a shake-up more often than once a week, these are the Mexican dinners on repeat in my house.
This sounds wonderful! Do you think it can be assembled and frozen, then thawed and baked later?
Be sure to tightly wrap the peppers so very little air comes in contact with them. I haven’t personally tried it, but it should turn out fine!
Awesome flavor and easy!!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Pete! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Made this tonite and it was absolutely delicious!! My wife isn’t a big bell pepper fan, so I was a little apprehensive about making it. But, she must of told me twenty times how great it tasted. Great recipe! Thanks!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Brian! The flavors in this dish complement the bell peppers so well. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
One of the most requested by my husband.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Marijane! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Hi. For the serving calories of 412 is that for one half or for 2 halvee which equal 1 whole pepper?
The serving is for one half stuffed bell pepper.
I did my stuffing a little different but did the salsa and taco seasoning. I mixed it with cauliflower rice, corn and used a few different cheeses. I cooked the peppers the way the recipe says and they came out great. Great recipe to cook the peppers properly and can play around with the stuffing.
That sounds delicious, Danielle! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I tried your stuffed peppers recipe and have to say they were fabulous. We regret making one casserole that I’m doing another batch tonight.
Yummy
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Betty! I’m so glad to hear you liked them so much that one batch wasn’t enough. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Absolutely amazing! I used venison, no salsa! Did not measure anything just winged it! Also paired it with fried rice and broccoli
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Katie! What a great idea to use venison. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
These peppers were delicious. I make my own taco seasoning and then freeze several containers of pre-seasoned taco meat that I normally thaw when we want tacos. Using this thawed taco meat for the stuffed peppers makes preparation of your recipe even easier. After sautéing the onions and garlic, I simply emptied two pint-sized containers of the already prepared ground hamburger into the pan to heat through and then continued with the recipe as written. I didn’t have any black beans, but these were great without.
The peppers were served with a side of home-made refried beans, that were seasoned with some of the leftover salsa, then topped with chopped scallions and avocados.
This is a dish that a person can spice up or down, as personal tastes dictate. We, also, appreciated that this recipe did not have rice as an ingredient–I have been searching for some time for a rice-free stuffed pepper–and found it in your recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! Thanks for sharing your experience, Anne. So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Sounds like you made a delicious meal.
These were so good! I left out the beans and used fresh corn off the cob. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Marina! Did you happen to snap a photo? If so, send it to london@evolvingtable.com by the end of today for a chance to win the September Cooking Challenge 🙂
Thanks for your recipe for Mexican Stuffed Bell peppers, I, also use multi colored peppers and a few chili peppers as well. I made your recipe as written and then made one using ground roasted turkey and one using ground Italian sausage and my own home made salsa in each. I then froze 1/2 of each recipe and we will try out each in the next few days. Can’t wait to enjoy, because as you know everything usually tastes great the second time around.
Oh I love all of those variations! I bet the homemade salsa will taste incredible in there. Can’t wait to hear what you think, Edward! Also, don’t forget to send a pic to london@evolvingtable.com if you’d like an entry into the September Cooking Challenge!