Stuffed peppers have been a staple in our household for years. I’ve made countless versions over the years and are always a hit with the kiddos.
They don’t always eat the pepper part of the stuffed peppers but they definitely devour the meat filling. Which I definitely consider a win either way.
I mean, I’ll just eat the pepper if they don’t. haha!
I’ve been playing around with a Mexican style version for some time and I think it’s definitely time to share!
Start by preheating your oven to 350° F and lining a sheet pan or 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. The foil just makes it easier for cleanup but you can skip this step if you want and just spray with pan with nonstick cooking spray if you prefer.
Slice your bell peppers down the center and scoop out the seeds and cut off the stem. Lay evenly, cavity side up, around the baking sheet.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and diced onions. Cook, breaking apart the beef with a wooden spoon, until it’s browned and almost cooked through.
Add your taco seasoning mix and enchilada sauce and stir together. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer to let the sauce thicken and coat the meat in taco flavors.
Stir in the cooked rice, beans, tomatoes, and corn. Cook for just a couple minutes to heat through and season with salt and pepper to taste. You shouldn’t need to much because of the taco seasoning, but just in case.
Remove from heat and scoop the mixture into the peppers on the sheet pan. Usually about 1/2 to 2/3 cups fits in each pepper half and you might also have some mixture left over.
Save the leftover beef mixture and you can use it for tacos the next day or put it on some nacho chips!
Sprinkle the peppers evenly with shredded cheese then place in the oven and bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly starting to brown on the top.
While the peppers are cooking in the oven, you can slice your jalapenos and avocados for serving. Also, crumble the queso fresco cheese for sprinkling on the top.
Once the peppers are done cooking, remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Drizzle with crema and sprinkle with queso fresco cheese. I highly recommend you don’t skip on the crema… it adds such a nice creamy flavor and texture to the dish.
Serve immediately with the jalapenos and avocado or guacamole and some fresh pico de gallo if you want.
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
- 1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup white rice cooked
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 cup corn canned or frozen (and thawed)
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- Mexican crema
- queso fresco crumbled
- fresh cilantro chopped
- guacamole
- pico de gallo
- jalapeños sliced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° F and layer a sheet pan with aluminum foil then spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Slice the bell peppers down the center and clean out the center veins and seeds. Lay open side up on the foil baking sheet.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add ground beef and diced onions. Cook, stirring and breaking apart beef, for 8-10 minutes until beef is browned and cooked through.
- Add taco seasoning and enchilada sauce; stir together. Bring to boil the reduce heat and let cook for 6-8 minutes until sauce thickens.
- Stir in the rice, beans, tomatoes, and corn and heat for 3-4 minutes just until warmed through.
- Remove from heat and stuff the peppers with the meat mixture. Sprinkle cheese evenly over top of all peppers.
- Place in oven and bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are soft, the cheese is melted, and the mixture is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 then drizzle evenly with Mexican crema, queso fresco, and cilantro.
- Serve along side with guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños.
