Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers
Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers are a flavorful twist on the classic dish, featuring bell peppers filled with a savory mixture of seasoned ground meat, rice, beans, corn, and cheese, all coated in rich enchilada sauce. This Mexican-inspired meal is hearty and lean and should be on your table soon!
Mexican Stuffed Peppers
We’re huge fans of anything Tex-Mex, including anything enchilada – especially homemade. I try to avoid them at restaurants, however, because they’re normally drowned in a cheesy sauce that I’m not a fan of – at all! So let’s make enchiladas at home and stuff the filling in bell peppers instead of using tortillas.
We also love our Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce, Healthy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, and this deconstructed version, our Skillet Beef Enchiladas. Try one, try them all!
Why This Recipe Works:
- USES SIMPLE TO FIND INGREDIENTS – This simple recipe used ingredients that you can easily find in your local grocery store.
- FULL OF FLAVOR – We love the combo of ingredients in the filling. While you can use store-bought enchilada sauce, I highly recommend making our homemade enchilada sauce. You can use some of it in this recipe and then make tortilla soup with the remainder!
- LEAN MEAL – We love using bell peppers instead of tortillas in this recipe because it ups the nutrients. We use lean ground beef as the base but you could substitute ground turkey or chicken as well.
What You’ll Need:
- Bell Peppers – Use any combo of bell peppers – green, red, yellow, or orange.
- Lean Ground Beef – 10% lean is normally our go-to for casseroles.
- Onion and Garlic – These get added to the ground beef mixture.
- Seasonings – including chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper
- Rice – Use either white rice or brown rice.
- Beans – We use black beans but pinto beans would be delicious too.
- Enchilada Sauce – Use canned sauce or try our homemade enchilada sauce for even more pizazz.
- Cheese – Try any combo of cheese – Mexican, cheddar, Monterey, mozzarella, etc.
NOTE ON CHOOSING PEPPERS: For best results, choose peppers that are large in size and wide in diameter. You want to have a good base for stuffing with that delicious saucy filling!
How to make Mexican Stuffed Peppers:
Step 1
Prep the bell peppers. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the top off of the bell peppers. Then use a spoon to remove the rinds and seeds from inside the peppers. Use your hands to rub a little bit of olive oil over the outsides of the peppers.
NOTE: If you can’t fit all of the peppers in one dish, simple use a small oven-safe bowl to bake the remaining pepper.
Step 2
Par-cook the peppers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the peppers inside a casserole dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly softened.
NOTE: You don’t want to fully cook the peppers here because they will go back in the oven with the filling.
Step 3
Cook rice. Meanwhile cook rice. We use our instant pot, but you could cook it on the stovetop according to package directions.
If using instant pot, combine one cup of rice and 1.5 cups of lower-sodium chicken broth. Cook on high pressure for two minutes with a five minute natural release.
Step 4
Brown the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onions, ground beef, and seasonings (chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Cook until meat is cooked through. Add minced garlic and stir for a minute.
Step 5
Add ingredients. Then add the cooked rice, black beans, corn, and most of the cheese. (Reserve a little for the tops of the peppers.) Stir well.
Step 6
Add sauce. To the skillet, add the enchilada sauce and stir. Simmer mixture for a few minutes to heat through.
NOTE: I highly recommend making our delicious red enchilada sauce for extra flavor!
Step 7
Stuff peppers. Add the meat and rice mixture to each prepared pepper, stuffing them full. Then add the remaining cheese to the tops of the peppers.
Step 8
Bake. Bake peppers in the preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 15 additional minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Step 9
Serve. Serve baked stuffed peppers with a sprinkle of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, some Avocado Crema (if desired), and your favorite sides.
For sides, we especially enjoy Chunky Guacamole with chips, Mexican Street Corn Salad, or Restaurant Style Refried Beans.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
Other Delicious Tex-Mex Recipes:
We’re huge Tex-Mex lovers in our home. Living in Texas has it’s advantages, outside of warmer winters. A big plus is access to great Mexican food, and trust me, we’ve tried tons of it.
Recipe FAQs:
You can either par-cook the bell peppers to soften them slightly or leave them raw for a firmer texture after baking. Your choice.
Ground beef, turkey, or chicken are all great options. You can also make it vegetarian by using black beans, pinto beans, or a meat substitute like tofu or lentils.
Yes, you can assemble the stuffed peppers ahead of time and refrigerate them for up to a day before baking. Add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking from cold.
Top them with sour cream, chopped cilantro, avocado slices, extra shredded cheese, or a squeeze of lime for added flavor.
Delicious Margaritas:
If you are eating Tex-Mex, you MUST pair it with a great margarita. Try one of the following!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Enchilada Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 bell peppers – any color
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup onion – diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 14 oz. enchilada sauce – homemade or store-bought
- 15 oz. black beans – rinsed and drained
- 11 oz. Mexicorn – or regular corn (drained)
- 2 cups cooked rice – any kind (brown or white)
- 8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese – or any combo
Instructions
- Prep the bell peppers. Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the top off of the bell peppers. Then use a spoon to remove the rinds and seeds from inside the peppers. Use your hands to rub a little bit of olive oil over the outsides of the peppers.
- Par-cook the peppers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the peppers inside a casserole dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until slightly softened.
- Cook rice. Meanwhile cook rice. We use our instant pot, but you could cook it on the stovetop according to package directions.
- Brown the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, onions, ground beef, and seasonings (chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, salt, and pepper). Cook until meat is cooked through. Add minced garlic and stir for a minute.
- Add ingredients. Then add the cooked rice, black beans, corn, and most of the cheese. (Reserve a little for the tops of the peppers.) Stir well.
- Add sauce. To the skillet, add the enchilada sauce and stir. Simmer mixture for a few minutes to heat through.
- Stuff peppers. Add the meat and rice mixture to each prepared pepper, stuffing them full. Then add the remaining cheese to the tops of the peppers.
- Bake. Bake peppers in the preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 15 additional minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
- Serve. Serve baked stuffed peppers with a sprinkle of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, some Avocado Crema (if desired), and your favorite sides.
Notes
- See step-by-step instructions with photos on the blog post!
- For best results, choose peppers that are large in size and wide in diameter. You want to have a good base for stuffing with that delicious saucy filling!
- If you can’t fit all of the peppers in one dish, simple use a small oven-safe bowl to bake the remaining pepper.
- You can assemble the stuffed peppers ahead of time and refrigerate them for up to a day before baking. Add 10-15 minutes to the baking time if baking from cold.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
- We also love our Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce, Healthy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, and this deconstructed version, our Skillet Beef Enchiladas.
I haven’t even stuffed the peppers yet and I am totally hooked! Decided to cook the beef and enchilada sauce early this morning, since I’m an early-bird and Grumpy sleeps really late. I couldn’t find a decent chuck roast yesterday, so I just grabbed a package of ‘stew meat’. Otherwise followed the recipe(s) exactly. I was so happily surprised when I took a small bite of the meat and dipped it in the sauce (LOVE THIS SAUCE) just for a quick taste. Then I had another taste. And another taste…….Can’t wait to try the stuffed peppers, they have to be phenomenal! I hope there’s enough meat left for dinner………. Thanks, Sue!!!!!
Oh, this makes me so happy, Dana! You can also use that sauce for my chipotle beef enchiladas and my chicken tortilla soup! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
This dish is amazing and I like the idea of partnering with a Margarita!