Mexican Stuffed Peppers

Looking for a quick weeknight dinner idea for you and your family? These Stuffed Peppers are easy to make, inspired by Mexican flavors, taking stuffed peppers to the next level! They consist of ground chicken, rice, black beans, spinach and homemade taco seasoning.

I love that these aren’t your traditional stuffed peppers. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good ol’ classic stuffed pepper the way that my mom always made them- with ground beef, rice and tomato sauce. But there is just something so delicious and intriguing about this Mexican inspired recipe that keeps my family and I coming back for seconds!

All of the ingredients that you will need to make Mexican Stuffed Peppers:

• Bell peppers – I like to use a variety of colors when I cook this dish. Green, red, yellow and orange, try them all! It will make your dish colorful and visually appealing to use different colored peppers.
• Ground meat – I typically use ground chicken but ground beef or turkey are fantastic in this dish, as well.
• Onion and garlic – Adds some much needed robust flavor.
• Black beans – They are nutritious, delicious and packed full of plant-based protein and fiber.
• Fresh spinach – Gives this dish a vibrant, green vegetable as a deliciously healthy addition!
• Rice – white or brown, totally your preference. Want a low carb option? Omit the rice completely.
• Taco seasoning – You can use this homemade taco seasoning recipe or you can use store-bought if you are pressed on time.
• Monterey jack cheese – I like to use it but you can totally try a different cheese of your choice!
• Salsa – Use your favorite salsa. Some goes in the peppers and the rest is served on the side.

Other optional toppings that you can try are:

• Sour cream
• Black olives
• Avocado
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes

How to make Mexican Stuffed Peppers:

1. Prepare your rice according to the directions on the box/ bag.
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet over medium to high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Toss in the ground meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
3. While the meat is cooking, prep your peppers. Rinse them with fresh water. You can either cut them in half (this is the way I usually prepare mine), or you can simply cut the top off where the stem is and stuff the mixture in that way. Be sure to take all the seeds out.
4. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the taco seasoning in the meat mixture and stir well.
5. Next, stir in the black beans, spinach and rice. Mix until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat.
6. Add the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and salsa. Stir until completely combined.
7. Stuff the meat and veggie mixture into the bell peppers using a spoon. Top them off with the remaining shredded cheese on top. Add a small amount of water on the bottom of your baking dish. **See note below for tips.
8. Place the stuffed peppers in the preheated oven and bake, covered for about 25 minutes. Uncover the peppers and bake for about another 10 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and cook thoroughly.
9. Serve with additional toppings of your choice and enjoy!

How to prep the bell peppers properly:

There are two ways that you can prepare your bell peppers for this dish. As I mentioned above, you can cut them in half and place them lying down, flesh side up in your baking dish. You can then stuff the peppers with your meat mixture and top it with cheese.

You can also just chop off the top of the pepper where the stem lies. Then stand them upright and stuff the mixture through the top of the peppers. I have done both ways so it is totally your preference!

**I have found that adding a small amount of water at the bottom of the baking dish before cooking them in the oven helps to ensure they cook thoroughly. This step is not necessary but I have made countless stuffed peppers in the oven and there have definitely been a number of times where my peppers just did not seem to cook enough. The filling was good and ready but the peppers were still a bit hard! So by adding a little water to the bottom and covering the dish, it steams the peppers to help them cook better. Works every time!

What can I do with the leftover meat and vegetable filling?

Every time I make stuffed peppers, without fail I always seem to have leftover filling. But I definitely do not mind this!

Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze the mixture for up to 3 months if stored properly in an airtight container or freezer bag.

I actually enjoy the meat filling by itself as a lighter lunch. But you can also try stuffing it in zucchini boats, using it in a burrito, baking it with more cheese in a dish to make a casserole, and the list goes on. Go on, get creative with it!

LOVE THIS RECIPE? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES THAT YOU MAY ALSO LIKE!

• Stuffed Shells Recipe
• Turkey Tacos

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

These Stuffed Peppers are easy to make, inspired by Mexican flavors and consist of ground chicken, rice, black beans, spinach and homemade taco seasoning. It is the ultimate weeknight meal!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 6

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 3 large bell peppers cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 5 ounces fresh spinach chopped
• 1 15 ounce can black beans
• 1 cup rice cooked
• 1 tbsp taco seasoning
• 2 cups monterey Jack cheese shredded, divided
• 1 jar salsa divided
• sour cream optional, for topping

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425℉. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium to high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add the ground meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. While the meat is cooking, prep your peppers. Rinse them with fresh water. You can either cut them in half or you can cut the top off where the stem is and stuff the filling in that way. Take the seeds out.
• Sprinkle taco seasoning in the meat mixture and stir well. Stir in the black beans, spinach and rice. Mix until the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat.
• Add the shredded cheese and salsa. Stir until completely combined. Stuff the meat and veggie mixture into the bell peppers using a spoon. Top them off with the remaining shredded cheese on top.
• Add a small amount of water on the bottom of your baking dish to steam the peppers while they cook. Place the stuffed peppers in preheated oven and bake, covered for about 25 minutes. Uncover the peppers and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the peppers are soft. Serve with additional toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Notes

• By adding a small amount of water to the bottom of your baking dish and covering it, it will steam the peppers to ensure they cook thoroughly. 
• Instead of ground chicken, ground beef or turkey would be an excellent choice of protein for this dish.
• Make these stuffed peppers vegetarian. Do not add the ground meat and instead use the black beans as the plant-based protein!
• Want these stuffed peppers to be low carb? Omit the rice. It is just as delicious and still very filling without it. 
• Try topping these stuffed peppers with additional toppings of your choice such as sour cream, black olives, shredded lettuce, avocado and chopped tomatoes!
• Make the filling ahead of time as a time saver for the ultimate weeknight dinner.

Keyword mexican inspired, mexican stuffed peppers, peppers, stuffed peppers