Taco Stuffed Peppers
A tasty taco spin on a classic dish, these Taco Stuffed Peppers are a super easy weeknight dinner. Stuffed with ground beef, rice, garlic, tomato, and taco sauce, this flavorful dish will be your favorite way to eat stuffed peppers!
My favorite way to cook is to make classic recipes with a twist, to make it more unique. I loved a classic stuffed pepper recipe, but rather than going that route, I decided to do it with taco! I love taco any which way – try these Air Fryer Taco Pizzas for mega taco flavor!
If you’re looking for another taco recipe, try my Smoked Pork Tacos with Smoked Queso and Peach Salsa.
What do I need to get started?
- Ground beef. You can use any ground meat of your choosing, but I went with the classic taco meat.
- Taco seasoning. You can buy it prepackaged or make it yourself.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Rotel tomatoes.
- Cooked white rice.
- Taco sauce.
- Bell peppers.
- Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded. I always recommend buying the block of cheese and shredding it yourself – the cheese is so much fresher and melts much better!
How to make Taco Stuffed Peppers
As always, start by preheating the oven and prepping all ingredients. Dice the onions, mince the garlic, cook the right, and slice and seed the peppers.
Add ground beef to a large skillet over medium heat. Start browning the meat and add the taco seasoning halfway through cooking, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, onion, and rotel to the meat mixture and keep cooking until the onion is soft. Taste it at this point – if it needs salt and pepper, add it.
In a large bowl, mix the beef mixture, cooked white rice, and taco sauce. Toss together until it is fully combined.
Place peppers on your baking sheet and spoon in the beef and rice mixture into the peppers until each is completely stuffed. Drizzle on the remaining taco sauce and top with cheese.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until the peppers are soft and the cheese is melted. This may take closer to 30 minutes depending on your oven.
Remove peppers from the oven and serve immediately with all your favorite taco toppings.
Do you have to boil peppers before stuffing them?
You do not have to boil these peppers before stuffing them. Baking them for 40 minutes will make them soft enough with just a tiny bit of crunch. If you want the peppers completely soft, you can boil or pre-bake them to eliminate any crunch.
Can I freeze Taco Stuffed Peppers?
I do not recommend freezing the peppers. Since these are so fast to throw together, it is best to only make enough to feed yourself and your family for that day!
Storage and Make Ahead
These peppers can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. To save time in the evening, you can make the beef mixture the night before and keep it in the fridge in an airtight container before assembling the peppers in the baking dish.
To reheat Taco Stuffed Peppers, microwave to 3-4 minutes. You can also cover in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.
Tips and Tricks
- To add some more heat to these peppers, slice up jalapeno and put it into the meat mixture with the onion, garlic, and tomato.
- If you want a bit of a lighter pepper, you can use ground turkey in place of the beef.
- I served my peppers with sour cream, more taco sauce, lime, and cilantro. You can serve your peppers with any of your favorite taco toppings!
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Classic stuffed peppers with a taco twist! Filled with taco meat and taco sauce and topped with Monterey Jack Cheese!
Ingredients
- 1lb ground beef
- 1/4 cup low sodium taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 10oz can Rotel
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 1/2 cups taco sauce, separated
- 3 bell peppers, various colors, cut in half and seeds removed
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and prepare a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, begin browning the ground beef adding the taco seasoning halfway through cooking, about 5 minutes.
- To the ground beef add the garlic, onion, and rotel and continue cooking over medium heat until the onions have softened.
- In a large bowl, add the beef mixture, white rice, and 1 cup of the taco sauce and mix until combined.
- Spoon the beef and rice mixture into the peppers until completely stuffed, place in your baking pan. Spoon the reserved ½ cup taco sauce over the peppers and sprinkle with the monterey jack cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the peppers have softened and the cheese is bubbly.
- Serve immediately with your favorite taco toppings.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 stuffed pepperAmount Per Serving Calories 405Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 84mgSodium 1067mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 1gSugar 6gProtein 28g
