These hearty and delicious Mexican Stuffed Peppers are packed with an easy and flavorful filling of ground turkey, black beans, corn, rice, and fire-roasted tomatoes, then topped with lots of melted cheese! They’re one of my favorite satisfying and healthy dinners.
These Mexican stuffed peppers are total comfort food – hearty but still light and fresh thanks to all the veggies. They’re packed with flavor from cumin, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and a few other spices, and of course cheese. I’m all about the cheese!
I make these at least every other week, and they’re always a hit! I’m actually kind of obsessed with stuffed peppers (as you can see from my stuffed pepper soup, crockpot stuffed peppers, and breakfast stuffed peppers). They’re just the perfect little meal all wrapped up in a tender and tasty vegetable!
Here’s more about why I love them:
- Easily customizable. This recipe is super flexible and you can swap out most of these ingredients for whatever you have on hand, like using quinoa instead of rice for even more protein!
- Make it ahead of time. This recipe is great to prep the night before or for whenever you need it. Just make the filling and then prepare and stuff the peppers when you’re ready to cook!
- It’s actually satisfying and filling! I’ve had lots of stuffed pepper recipes that have left me wanting more. I’d have to eat 3 or 4 to really feel full and satisfied! But these Mexican stuffed peppers always do the trick and leave me satisfied without feeling stuffed.
Ingredients in Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Bell peppers: You can use yellow, orange, green, or red. I recommend getting the largest size you can so they can hold a decent amount of filling.
- Ground turkey: I used lean ground turkey to keep things light, but you can easily swap it out for a different protein like ground chicken or beef.
- Seasonings: I used a combination of my favorite Mexican spices like chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, ancho chili powder, ground coriander, and black pepper.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes are super convenient and take out some of the prep work. I used fire-roasted tomatoes for a smoky flavor.
- Black beans and sweet corn: Black beans and corn add extra flavor, extra vegetables, extra nutrition, extra fiber, and all the good stuff! To make this recipe vegetarian, you can add more black beans and corn in place of the ground turkey.
- Cooked white rice: I used just plain white rice for the filling but feel free to use cilantro lime rice, authentic mexican rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa.
- Shredded cheese: I used a shredded Mexican blend cheese, but you can use Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or sharp cheddar as well.
- Garnishes: A dollop of sour cream, some chopped cilantro, and diced avocado add a great finishing touch to each pepper, truly making it the perfect satisfying meal.
How to Make Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Make the filling. Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and all the seasonings, and cook until browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. This should take about 10 minutes.
Once the ground turkey is fully cooked, add the fire-roasted tomatoes, cooked rice, black beans, and corn. Stir everything to combine, then give it a taste and add more salt if needed, then set aside.
Prepare the bell peppers. Cut bell peppers lengthwise into two halves. Scoop out the seeds and veins, leaving a hollow bell pepper shell. You should have 8.
Bake. Arrange the bell peppers on a baking dish, and scoop 3-4 tablespoons of the filling into the peppers. Top with shredded cheese and cover with aluminum foil. Bake the Mexican stuffed peppers for 35-40 minutes until the peppers are tender and fully cooked.
Serve. Once cooked, uncover and serve with sour cream, fresh cilantro, and diced avocado!
Tip!
Use the biggest bell peppers you can find so you can stuff them with lots of filling. Depending on the size of yours, you may have leftover filling. If you do, you can use it in burritos, bowls, or even nachos.
Recipe Variations
This recipe is very customizable. You can swap out the filling for different proteins, rice, or vegetables with your preferred ingredients.
- Rice: Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice, cilantro lime rice, authentic mexican rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa.
- Bell peppers: Any color works! Green bell peppers are often the most inexpensive variety, so if you’re looking to save a few bucks, choose green!
- Meat: You can use lean ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork instead of turkey.
- Make this dish vegetarian: Omit the ground turkey and add an extra ½ cup of corn and ½ cup of black beans.
- Beans: Feel free to use pinto beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, or any other type of beans.
Storing and Reheating
To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. If making the filling ahead of time, refrigerate for up to 3 days before cooking for optimal freshness.
To reheat, place in the microwave and heat in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
More Mexican Recipes
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
For the stuffed peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey (or chicken or beef)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 cup yellow corn, frozen and thawed, or canned, rinsed, and drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups cooked white rice
- 4 large bell peppers (any color)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
For serving
- Sour cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced avocado
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. While the oven preheats, prepare the stuffed pepper filling.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat along with the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, ancho chili powder, coriander, and black pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes until browned, breaking apart with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in the fire-roasted tomatoes, corn, black beans, and white rice. Set aside.
- Prepare the bell peppers by slicing them in half lengthwise and scooping out the seeds and veins. This should make 8 bell pepper shells. Arrange them in a large 9×13-inch baking dish cut side up.
- Scoop 4 tablespoons of the filling into each pepper, then top each with shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the peppers are tender and cooked through.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chopped cilantro, and diced avocado.
Notes
- Bell peppers: Use the biggest bell peppers you can find so you can stuff them with lots of filling. Depending on the size of yours, you may have leftover filling. If you do, you can use it in burritos, bowls, or even nachos. Any color works! Green bell peppers are often the most inexpensive variety, so if you’re looking to save a few bucks, choose green!
- Rice: Instead of white rice, you can use brown rice, cilantro lime rice, authentic Mexican rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa.
- Meat: You can use lean ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork instead of turkey.
- Beans: Feel free to use pinto beans, chickpeas, cannellini beans, or any other type of beans.
- Make this dish vegetarian: Omit the ground turkey and add an extra ½ cup of corn and ½ cup of black beans.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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