Delicious, colorful Mexican Stuffed Peppers are filled to the brim with gooey cheese, spicy seasoned beef, tender black beans, cooked rice and red enchilada sauce. This family-approved, delightful dish is topped with sour cream and green onions for a complete meal.
Stuffed peppers are such a special, savory dish. Each cheesy, sauce-filled bite is so satisfying, so why not create a kid-friendly taco-inspired version that the whole family will love, with a similar taste to Three Layer Cheesy Taco Bake?
I'm talking about these deliciously cheesy, supremely flavorful Mexican Stuffed Peppers. The savory and spicy taco flavors work so well with the black beans, enchilada sauce, rice and beef, which are absolutely delicious when baked in fresh and colorful bell peppers!
Then there's the cheese. That gooey, wonderful cheese. It makes these tasty taco stuffed peppers so creamy and special, and definitely takes them to the next level. It makes it hard to resist taking that first bite--even before it's had a chance to cool off!
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👪Why you'll love it
| Complete, one dish meal- Taco stuffed peppers check off all the boxes for a wholesome family dinner. In fact, they're filled with so much deliciousness (protein, starch, veggies), you really don't need to serve anything else with them! Kid approved- Kids love cheese. And tacos. Put those two things together and bake them in a colorful pepper (topped with even more cheese) and you have a winner for dinner! Easy, prep ahead meal- Short on time? You can assemble the peppers up to one day before baking them! Freezer friendly- Make a batch and bake, allow them to cool and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and reheat when you want to enjoy again. It's that simple! |
🥘Ingredients
For a complete list of ingredients, including measurements, see the printable recipe card below
- bell peppers--I like a colorful variety for plating, but that is a personal preference
- extra lean ground beef or turkey--try to avoid going lower than 85% or the grease will affect the filling
- onion--accentuates the flavors
- rice--helps to absorb the sauce and juices; I typically use long grain
- Mexican blend shredded cheese--feel free to use cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack or even Pepper Jack
- black beans--adds a hearty flavor and provides some additional bulk and protein
- enchilada sauce--sweet and mildly spicy; this sauce is thinner than traditional tomato sauce
- salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder--seasonings for the beef
The following spices add to this dish's charm, but if you're short on time, feel free to substitute with 1 packet of taco seasoning:
- chili powder, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper (you can omit the last one if you don't like things super spicy)
🔪Instructions
For a complete set of instructions, see the printable recipe card below
- Halve peppers; seed and remove stems; scoop out membranes. Arrange (cavity side up) in a greased baking dish and set aside.
- In a large saucepan, cook ground beef with onions over medium heat until beef is browned; drain excess grease. Then add the salt, black pepper and garlic.
- Next add the chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper along with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir and cook over over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese (the rest will be used to top the peppers).
- Stir in the enchilada sauce.
- Carefully scoop filling into the pepper cavities, filling each to the brim.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Then cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until peppers are tender, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Then top with sour cream and green onions (optional).
Hint: I like to cut the peppers lengthwise to stuff and bake them. They bake more evenly this way and are easier to eat.
🥣Substitutions
One packet of taco seasoning may be substituted for the chili pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper.
You can substitute the enchilada sauce (which is sweeter) with taco or tomato sauce.
📖Variations
For a slightly spicier filled pepper, choose poblano peppers rather than bell peppers.
This recipe also works with extra lean ground turkey.
🍽Equipment
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large saucepan with lid (for pepper filling)
- small saucepan with lid (for rice)
- mixing/stirring spoon
- 13x9 glass baking dish (lightly greased with olive oil)
🍶Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within five days.
Once cooled, you may also freeze leftovers in freezer safe packaging for up to 3 months.
Reheating instructions:
- Place in a covered casserole dish. Bake in 325° oven for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
- If cooking frozen leftovers, thaw overnight in fridge and then follow above.
💭Top Tip
Stacking peppers side by side in the baking dish helps them to not fall over. Just be aware that you may need to tack on some additional baking time to make sure peppers are soft and cooked through.
🗨️FAQ
That extra step really isn't necessary. Bake the stuffed peppers long enough so that they are soft. Depending on how closely they're stacked together, you may need to adjust your baking time to achieve soft peppers. This is much easier than taking an extra step to boil them.
Red bell peppers have the most nutrients, mainly because they have ripened on the vine the longest. Orange is the second healthiest, followed by yellow, and then green.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Mexican Stuffed Peppers:
📋Recipe
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large (or 6 medium) bell peppers
- 1 pound lean or extra lean ground beef or turkey
- ¼ cup diced onion
- ½ cup uncooked rice
- 8 ounces Mexican shredded cheese
- ¾ cup rinsed and drained black beans
- 15 ounce can enchilada sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- olive oil
Instructions
- Before starting:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Cook rice in small saucepan
- Cut peppers in half; seed and remove stems and membranes
- In a large saucepan, cook ground beef with onions over medium heat until beef is browned; drain excess grease.
- Add the salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Then add the chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper along with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir and cook over over medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the cooked rice and black beans; stir. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes over low/medium heat.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese (the rest will be used to top the peppers).
- Next, stir in the enchilada sauce.
- Lightly spray 13x9 glass casserole dish with olive oil. Then arrange pepper cavities (open side up) in dish.
- Carefully scoop filling into the pepper cavities, filling each to the brim.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Then cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake, covered, in a 400 degree preheated oven until peppers are tender, about 40-45 minutes. Then remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until cheese on top is bubbly.
- Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. Enjoy within five days. Once cooled, you may also freeze leftovers in freezer safe packaging for up to 3 months.
- To reheat, cover and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
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