Taco-style ground beef Easy Stuffed Peppers are a cheesy delight with the perfect kick. Serve them up with your choice of side dishes for a lovely Mexican-inspired meal.
This easy stuffed peppers recipe includes ground beef, cooked rice (substitute for cauliflower rice to make it keto), fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chili powder for a mouth-watering flavorful dinner. Oh, and don’t forget the melty cheese!
Loaded with flavor, steamy, dreamy, so easy to prepare, stuffed pepper make dinner so much more interesting for those times you’re bored with your usual and still want something nourishing and healthful.
One of my first encounters with stuffed bell peppers was this meatless Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers. While I enjoyed this plant-based version, I just adore ground beef stuffed peppers as well.
My favorite part about this simple recipe is it is so easy to customize based on what you’re craving and what you have on hand. Enjoy it many different ways to keep it fresh and frisky!
Let’s chat about the basic ingredients for stuffed peppers in detail, as each one serves an important purpose.
Stuffed Peppers Ingredients:
Sweet Bell Peppers: Use any colors you like! I’m not particular about the color, so I just pick up a variety. I have noticed red bell peppers tend to be a bit sweeter than green bell peppers, which can create a lovely flavor. You can also go with other types of peppers too! Stuffed poblano peppers are incredible as well.
Ground Beef: The meaty, flavorful, highly satisfying portion of this recipe that makes you feel like you’re really sinking your teeth into something special. Feel free to replace it with ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner meat. Italian sausage works great too if you’re a sausage fan.
Avocado Oil or Olive Oil: Used to sauté the vegetables and brown the meat, we need some form of cooking oil. I like using avocado oil, but olive oil works too.
Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic generate that inviting flavor to ramp up the tastiness of the meal.
Chili Powder: That seasoning that gives the meat that taco essence, making you feel like you’re enjoying some classic ground beef tacos stuffed inside perfectly cooked bell pepper. If you make your own chili powder blends, feel free to use it! You can also replace it with a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Adding Italian seasoning and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce is a great option too.
Chopped Tomatoes & Chicken Broth: I use fresh tomatoes and chicken broth to make a sauce for the meat, because I typically have them on hand and I love how fresh it tastes. You can easily replace the tomatoes and chicken broth with 1 can of diced tomatoes or tomato sauce.
Cooked Rice: Steamed brown rice or white rice is added to the beef mix to help soak up those delicious juices and help create a cohesive stuffing mixture. Add more rice if you’d like! Cook the rice ahead of time or use leftover rice!
Mozzarella Cheese: That incredibly gooey, ultra yummy ingredient that makes us all swoon! You can also use jack cheese, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, or cheese of choice! The cheese makes the peppers crazy enticing and delicious!
Optional Additions:
Feel free to add black beans, sweet corn, ortega chilis, hot sauce, or salsa! You can also serve the peppers with chopped avocado, guacamole, or sour cream.
Now that we have covered the basic ingredients for this pepper recipe, let’s make it.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers:
Add the avocado oil to a large thick-bottomed pot (I use my Dutch oven) and heat to medium heat. You can also use a large skillet (12 inches recommended).
Transfer the chopped yellow onion to the skillet and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the ground beef and allow it to brown for a couple of minutes before chopping it into smaller bits and mixing it in with the onion.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the cooked rice and cook at a full boil for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce surrounding the meat is nice and thick.
Stir in the cooked rice.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the core.
Fill the bell peppers with the ground beef mixture (there should be enough rice mixture for 5 or 6 medium-sized or 4 large bell peppers).
Place the bell peppers in a deep casserole dish or baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and sprinkle each with desired amount of cheese.
Place the peppers back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted.
Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!
Store leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
As is true with many dinner recipes, this easy bell peppers recipe tastes even better the next day. For this reason, feel free to prepare this great recipe ahead of time for meal prep.
How Long To Cook Stuffed Peppers:
At 400 degrees Fahrenheit, bell peppers need about 30 to 40 minutes to soften and cook in the oven.
In order to soften the bell peppers and keep them moist, cover the casserole dish with foil for the first 30 minutes then sprinkle the cheese on top and put the peppers back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it has melted.
What to Serve With Stuffed Bell Peppers:
Looking for some side dish ideas for serving alongside your stuffed bell peppers? Check these out!
- Black Bean Corn Salad
- Roasted Summer Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- Dry Black Beans in the Instant Pot
- Mayo-Free Macaroni Salad
How to Make Paleo or Keto Stuffed Peppers:
If you follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet, you can replace the cooked rice with 1 ½ cups cauliflower rice. The filling will be slightly runnier (so be careful when digging in), but the peppers will still be delicious!
Enjoy these ground beef stuffed bell peppers the next time you’re seeking a healthy dinner recipe for busy weeknights.
If you love Mexican food, also try out these reader favorites!
More Mexican-Inspired Dinner Recipes:
- Carnitas Enchiladas
- Ground Turkey Taco Skillet
- Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
- Turkey Enchilada Skillet
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Shredded Beef Taco Salad
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Crock Pot Carnitas Burrito Bowls
- Mexican Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet
- Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Chile Verde Burrito Bowls
Stuff it like you mean it!
Easy Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes I use cherry tomatoes because it’s what I had on hand*
- ½ cup chicken or beef broth*
- 1 cup cooked brown or white rice
- 5 to 6 medium-sized bell peppers colors of choice
- ¾ tsp sea salt to taste
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese**
Instructions
- Pour the avocado oil into a large thick-bottomed pot (I use my Dutch oven) and heat to medium-high.
- Stir in the chopped yellow onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and allow it to brown for a couple of minutes before chopping it into smaller bits and mixing it in with the onion.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients except for the cooked rice and cook at a full boil for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce surrounding the meat is nice and thick. Stir in the cooked rice.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the tops off of the bell peppers and remove the core.
- Fill the bell peppers with the ground beef mixture (there should be enough mixture for 5 or 6 medium-sized or 4 large bell peppers).
- Place the bell peppers in a deep casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and sprinkle each with desired amount of cheese. Place the peppers back in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted.
- Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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