The aromatic spices, melty cheese, and savory beefiness of tacos, served inside of a roasted bell pepper.
Stuffed peppers are one of the first dinners I ever cooked for myself after I moved out on my own. And you know what? They didn’t turn out bad at all! There are tons of variations to choose from—sausage and rice, chicken and squash, quinoa and vegetables; the list is endless—and all of them seem to be delicious. Also, they look fancy, with minimal work. Really, you can’t go wrong stuffing a pepper with pretty much anything.
But I have to hand it to one stuffed pepper variation, particularly the taco stuffed pepper. This rendition of the old standby classic knocks the formula out of the park! It’s cheesy, it’s spicy, and it delivers a satisfying dinner every time.
The best thing about these stuffed peppers is that you can kind of make it your own. Whatever you tend to love on top of your tacos goes great on the taco stuffed pepper! But I will advise you to try this recipe as it’s written before you add or subtract any ingredients. You might be surprised by how good it is.
Why we pre-cook the peppers
As you might have noticed already, the recipe says to pre-bake the bell pepper halves for 15 minutes. The reason we do this is to allow the peppers to cook and soften a bit before we stuff them, and it also gives the peppers a chance to release some water (which we then dump out before the filling goes in). Baking is a great way to pre-cook the pepper halves compared to other methods, such as parboiling, because water can evaporate out of the peppers in an oven.
How do I store leftovers?
Taco stuffed peppers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, simply pop them in the microwave or the air fryer for a couple of minutes. You can also reheat them in the oven. If you’d like to freeze them, you can transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, flash-freeze them until they’re solid, and move them to a freezer-safe bag to freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
As a garnish, I recommend either a few slices of avocado, a dollop or two of sour cream topped with sliced black olives, some grated Mexican Oaxaca cheese, or, for added heat, some sliced jalapeños.
For side dishes, I recommend keeping them simple to enhance the flavors of the main course. Maybe try some Mashed Cauliflower or Refried Beans. I also suggest a simple arugula salad with one of these 15+ Delicious Salad Dressings.
A good friend of mine who makes a vegetarian version of taco stuffed peppers raves about this Watermelon, Pineapple, And Feta Salad, and I think it would make a lovely side for taco stuffed peppers. But you could also try this delectable Esquites Recipe (Mexican Street Corn Salad).
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers halved and seeded
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup water
- 1 can black beans (15 ounces) drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (10 ounces) drained
- 1½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Arrange the bell pepper halves on a greased baking sheet, cut-side up. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. After baking, discard any water collected inside the peppers.
- While the peppers are baking, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess grease.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and minced garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
- Pour in ¾ cup of water, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the black beans and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Continue to simmer until the mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Fill each baked pepper half with the beef mixture, then sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
- Return the stuffed peppers to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
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