Healthy and easy Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers are a delicious and low-carb recipe for a quick weeknight dinner. Peppers are stuffed with a flavorful filling made with ground beef, salsa, and taco seasoning then topped with cheese and baked in the oven. This dish is made without rice and best topped with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
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 either whip up some Zucchini Boat Tacos or these Mexican Stuffed Peppers!
You get all of the delicious Southwest flavors like ground beef, salsa, and a homemade taco seasoning in a MUCH healthier package.
Plus, they can be dressed up with all your favorite taco toppings like guacamole, cilantro, or even a Lime Crema.
This recipe is easy to meal prep, and makes a delicious and quick dinner for busy school nights.
Having some dinner guests over? They’re even great for entertaining, too!
Ingredients
The ingredients needed to make stuffed bell peppers include:
- Bell Peppers. Three medium-sized peppers are needed, you can use all of the same color or mix it up with different colors. You can also use poblano peppers if you want more of a kick.
- Ground meat. Beef is traditionally used, but ground turkey, chicken, or even venison can be subbed instead. A lean ground beef, 90/10 or 85/15 fat content, is recommended for the healthiest option.
- Salsa. This is a quick way to give the peppers a lot of flavor. Use mild if you don’t want it too spicy, or medium for more of a kick. You can even use 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.
- Beans. Black beans are preferred. If you’re using canned, make sure to rinse and drain before adding them in. Pinto beans or red beans can also be substituted.
- Corn. Either use canned, previously frozen, or fresh corn. If you are on a keto diet, you can leave this out completely.
- Cheese. Both shredded cheddar or Monterrey jack taste great. You can also use a vegan and dairy-free alternative.
How to Make Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers
The steps to make these Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers are simple to follow:
Prepare the Peppers
You need hollowed out peppers ready to be filled.
Cut each pepper in half through the stem and from top to bottom. Remove the seeds and ribs.
Pre-Bake
Place peppers cut side-up on a baking dish and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Add a little water to the dish so they steam and don’t burn.
Pre-bake the peppers in the oven at 400° for 20-25 minutes, or until they pierce easily with fork.
This step ensures the peppers are tender, but the filling doesn’t get overcooked.
Make the Filling
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add some oil to the pan.
Sauté the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Next, add the ground meat and cook until it is browned. Then, use a potato masher to crumble.
After the meat is in small pieces, add in the salsa, seasonings, corn, beans, and cheese.
Then, stir until everything is well combined.
Fill and Cook
Drain out any liquid from the peppers. Use a spoon to stuff each one really full.
Top with shredded cheese. Then bake for 5 to 10 minutes. When the cheese melts, they are done!
Top and Serve
Add some extra flavor to these stuffed peppers by loading them with toppings.
Try pairing with guacamole, sour cream, roasted tomato salsa, cilantro, green onions, or simply sliced avocado.
You can also serve over a bed of white rice or quinoa if you are not following a low-carb diet.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Prepare the peppers and stuffing and then store the peppers and meat separately for up to 2 days.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- To Freeze: Store fully cooked stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Bake in a 350° oven until heated through. You can also quickly warm them up in the microwave.
FAQs
Just using seasoning in the filling and not on the peppers can result in a bland flavor. Try adding a bit of salt and black pepper to the bell peppers before baking.
It is not necessary. However, if the peppers are not pre-cooked they will likely still be pretty crisp. You can also pre-bake them in the oven before filling them up.
The peppers were likely not cooked long enough. Pre-cooking the peppers separately allows them to soften completely.
You don’t have to. Some recipes even call for raw beef to be stuffed into pepeppers! However, if you cook the peppers and meat separately you ensure everything is cooked perfectly.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Same sized. This way the peppers will cook up more evenly.
- Make it colorful. 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.
- Change it up. Try different varieties such as poblano peppers.
- Give it a sprinkle. A dash of salt and pepper on the inside of the peppers brings out their natural flavors when baked.
- Mash it real good. Using a potato masher helps to break apart the ground meat into fine crumbles.
- Give it some heat. Add a medium-heat salsa and a little extra cayenne pepper to up the spice level.
What to Serve with Mexican Stuffed Peppers
These peppers can be served on their own, or along with these recipes:
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mexican Rice Recipe
- Southern Corn Fritters
- Mexican Quinoa Salad
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
Stuffed peppers are so delicious and flavorful, try one of these next:
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Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers red, yellow, or green
- 2 Tbsp. oil olive or avocado oil
- ½ sweet onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 lb. ground beef 90/10*
- 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning homemade or store-bought
- ¼ tsp. salt optional
- 1 cup salsa mild or medium heat
- 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup corn drained
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, divided
To Serve:
- Cilantro finely chopped, optional
- Sour cream optional
- Guacamole optional
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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Video
Notes
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Prepare the peppers and stuffing, then store the peppers and meat separately for up to 2 days.
- To Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
- To Freeze: Store fully cooked stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Bake in a 350° oven until heated through. You can also quickly warm them up in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] if you’d like an entry into the September Cooking Challenge!