Mexican Stuffed Peppers – bright bell peppers stuffed with spicy ground beef, rice and black beans topped with melty cheese and baked in a zesty enchilada sauce. Classic bell peppers recipe elevated with spicy Mexican flavors.
This Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe takes everything we love about classic stuffed peppers
Tender halved bell peppers packed with ground meat, rice and beans topped with plenty of cheese and baked in enchilada sauce until bubbly and the cheese is melty.
Simple, prep ahead, one-pan meal. Customize with all your favorite taco toppings.
Why I love this recipe:
- Classic Mexican flavors but lower carb option.
- Prep ahead – bake just before eating.
- Peppers back in a spicy tomato sauce for added flavor.
- Leftovers reheat well for lunch the next day.
Ingredients needed to make Mexican Stuffed Peppers:
- bell peppers (red, orange, yellow – even green work well – your preference)
- olive oil
- lean ground beef
- onion
- packaged taco seasoning
- canned diced tomatoes
- black beans
- cooked rice (90 second instant rice works great!)
- canned enchilada sauce
- fresh cilantro
- lime
- shredded sharp cheddar cheese
How to make Mexican Stuffed Peppers:
Slice the peppers lengthwise (don’t cut pepper tops), remove seeds and stems then scrape the inside with a teaspoon until it’s clean.
Drain and rinse black beans and set aside. Preheat oven to 375°.
Drizzle the olive oil into a large skillet, add the ground beef and diced onions and season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the onions are tender.
Drain excess grease, sprinkle in taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and their juices, black beans, cooked rice, lime juice and 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce then give it a good stir.
Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon meat-rice stuffing to the pepper halves, filling about halfway up.
Press with your fingers or the back of a teaspoon so the meat fills the pepper crevices. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese then add the rest of the meat to the top of each pepper.
Place peppers in the bottom of the dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the foil, top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve right away.
Storage and reheating:
Cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or skillet over low heat.
Subs and variations to this recipe:
- Swap lean ground turkey, ground chicken – even chorizo – instead of beef.
- Add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste for thickness and deep flavor.
- Season meat with other herbs like garlic powder or oregano.
- Sub brown rice or cauliflower rice for white rice.
- Not a fan of cilantro? Sub parsley instead.
- Add other vegetables like corn, shredded zucchini or green chilies to the meat mixture.
- Swap different beans like kidney, pinto or garbanzo.
- Sub your favorite cheese, like pepper jack cheese or cheddar cheese.
Best sides with Mexican Stuffed Peppers:
- pickled jalapenos
- fresh salsa (homemade salsa)
- lime wedges
- dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt
- refried beans
- sliced avocado
- guacamole
- black olives
- 5 ingredient mexican rice
Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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Best Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 large bell peppers cut in half lengthwise and seeded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- ½ cup COOKED rice I use 90 second rice – white, brown or cauliflower rice all work
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 10 ounces canned Enchilada sauce medium spice used
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
Instructions
- Slice the peppers lengthwise then pull the seeds and stems from inside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Drizzle olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the beef is no longer pink and onions are tender.
- Drain excess grease, sprinkle with taco seasoning and add diced tomatoes, black beans, cooked rice, lime juice and 3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Add beef filling to halved peppers halfway up, top with 1/2 cup of the cheese then add the remaining beef mixture. Place peppers in the casserole dish.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil, top with the rest of cheese and bake UNCOVERED 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the peppers are tender.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve right away with your favorite toppings: sour cream, sliced jalapeno, avocado or guacamole.
This is totally going on our menu list! Goodness, these peppers look so darn good. I like that the filling is Mexican-style flavored……always looking for new ideas for old classics. Pinned, and passing along to my sister. Thanks for sharing. Have a good week…..chat again soon.
Hi Mary – I sure hope it does! Thank you so much for your kind words and pinning the recipe — also for passing along to your sister. By the way, any leftovers make a good lunch, too. Enjoy friend!
Can these be done in an instant pot?
Hi Tammy – I’ve never made them in an instant pot. If you try it, I’d be interested to see how they turn out. ~ Bernie
Fabulous flavor. The right amount of heat. Just add a margarita.
Thanks Remo! Definitely a good margarita is in order with this one.