Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

These easy Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers are the perfect nutritious weeknight meal. Packed with ground beef, rice, corn, beans, enchilada sauce, and cheese, you won’t have to fuss over any side dishes. 

Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

I am a huge stuffed pepper advocate. They’re really easy to throw together and they have every element of dinner all neatly packed into a fresh bell pepper. Does it get any better than that? This is the type of recipe that will fill your house with the most incredible smells and have your family waiting eagerly in the kitchen for dinner – no more calling your kids over and over!

On top of that, they reheat and freeze super well. Make yourself a big batch and have lunch and dinner ready to go for weeks! This is going to be your new favorite work lunch. All you have to do is zap them in the microwave for a few minutes, and you have a filling and delicious meal ready to go.

Ingredients in Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

These are incredibly easy to make and only a few ingredients needed to make.

• Ground beef – I like to use lean or extra lean ground beef to avoid excess fat and having to strain the beef after it’s cooked.
• Taco seasoning – If you want to make your own, here’s a recipe.
• Rice – I used basmati for this recipe but any long grain or medium grain rice will work.
• Beef broth – You can use any broth you have handy.
• Enchilada sauce – Feel free to make your own enchilada sauce or use one that’s pre-made.
• Corn – I used frozen corn. Fresh or canned (and rinsed) will also work.
• Black beans – This recipe is made with a can of black beans. If you plan on using dried beans, make sure to give yourself enough time to rehydrate them beforehand.
• Bell peppers – I used green bell peppers. Use any type you like best!
• Cheddar cheese – Lots of cheese for inside the peppers and on top. You can top your peppers with any type of cheese you want.
• Parsley – Substitute with cilantro if you’re a fan.

What Else Can I Put in My Stuffed Peppers?

There are lots of ways you can customize your stuffed peppers! Give these a try:

• Leaner meat such as ground turkey or chicken
• Onion
• Mushrooms
• Chopped spinach
• Hot peppers
• Salsa

How to Make Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

1. Prepare the oven and baking dish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash and seed the bell peppers and cut in half from top to bottom. Place in a greased 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
2. Make the filling: In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, should take 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the taco seasoning, rice, salsa, corn and black beans, beef broth stirring well. Cook for about 10 minutes until the rice cooks through.
3. Stuff the peppers: Scoop a couple tablespoons of mixture into the bell pepper halves, top with about a couple tablespoons of cheese, then scoop a couple more tablespoons of beef mixture to fill the peppers. Place them in the prepared baking dish and pour the remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce over them. Cover the pan with parchment paper.
4. Bake: Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
5. Finish the peppers: Uncover the peppers, top with remaining cheese and place back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Garnish with parsley or cilantro if you choose and serve.

Can I Make Stuffed Peppers Ahead?

These are perfect for making ahead and meal prepping!

If you plan on pre-baking your peppers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3-4 days. Reheat either in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or you can reheat using your oven. Bake the peppers, covered, at 350F for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.

Want to prep the peppers and bake later? You can make the filling, stuff the peppers, and cover in the fridge up to 2 days. Bake the for an extra 10-15 minutes before adding the final layer of cheese.

How to Serve Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

These peppers are fantastic with a side of sour cream, salsa, pico de gallo, or even some tortilla chips. Since you have veggies, protein, and carbs all in one spot, this is a great meal to enjoy all on its own. Thinking of making some accompaniments? Try these!

• Tex Mex Potato Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Beef Empanadas
• Joe Montana’s Touchdown Guacamole
• Avocado Shrimp Salsa

How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers

Make sure your peppers have cooled to room temperature before freezing them. You can freeze all your peppers in the casserole dish you baked them in covered with foil and plastic wrap. You can also transfer them to an airtight container. If you plan on taking them out individually and don’t want them freezing together, wrap each pepper individually with plastic wrap. These peppers will last 3 months frozen.

Bake them at 350 for 15-25 minutes, or until heated through. Placing them in the fridge overnight to thaw before reheating will speed the cooking time up quite a bit.

You can, of course, freeze your stuffed peppers before baking them. Like the pre-cooked peppers, they can be stored in a well wrapped casserole dish or wrapped individually with plastic.

More Must Try Recipes:

• Romanian Stuffed Peppers (Ardei Umpluti)
• Deconstructed Stuffed Pepper Casserole
• Skinny Turkey Stuffed Peppers
• Mexican Stuffed Peppers
• Stuffed Pepper Soup
• Beef Enchilada Stuffed Peppers

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