Taco Stuffed Peppers
These Taco Stuffed Peppers are a fun combination of regular ground beef tacos and stuffed peppers. It’s a twist on a classic dinner recipe that’s easy to customize to your liking or to make in advance.
Making tacos is one of our go-to dinner recipes especially on a weeknight. We recently had the idea to turn our tacos into stuffed peppers, and these Taco Stuffed Peppers quickly became a family favorite recipe.
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The best part is you can make them with ground beef, chicken, or turkey and add in all of your favorite taco ingredients like salsa, cheese, scallions, and seasonings. It’s a healthy and nutritious weeknight dinner recipe that will be on the table in about an hour.
If you love a Mexican-inspired recipe, be sure to also try Crock Pot Carnitas or Pulled Pork Enchiladas Verde.
Laura Ashley’s Tip: You can easily make your own taco seasoning from scratch using chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, and a little black pepper!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Great for making in advance. We love to make these Taco Stuffed Peppers for meal prep. We cook the filling and stuff the peppers. Then hold them in the fridge until we are ready to bake and eat!
- Easy to customize with your favorite taco ingredients. The best part about these peppers is you can make the filling with any of your favorite regular taco ingredients.
- Make a fun taco toppings bar for the whole family to enjoy! We add a toppings bar to the peppers, it’s great for both kids and adults.
Ingredients
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Bell peppers: Choose any color you like, these are the base of the stuffed peppers.
- Ground beef, turkey or chicken: The protein we love to add to our stuffed peppers, you can change it depending on what you are craving.
- Yellow onion: The vegetable essential to cook with the protein that adds delicious flavor.
- Salsa: Choose your favorite salsa here, it can be mild or spicy. We use this in the ground meat mixture as delicious tomato flavor.
- Taco seasoning: Buy your favorite brand from the store or you can also make your own easily.
- Cooked rice (white, brown or flavored): This is the perfect recipe for leftover rice. We also recommend buying microwave rice packets to save on time.
- Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend: When we have tacos, we always need shredded cheese!
- Topping options: We love to make a toppings bar, just like when we make tacos at home. Some of our favorite toppings include sour cream, fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeno, and guacamole.
Tools You’ll Need
How to Make Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the membrane and seeds. Place them in a baking dish standing upright.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground meat until cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add onion, and cook an additional minute.
- Stir in salsa, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, taco seasoning, and cooked rice. Mix well.
- Spoon the meat mixture evenly into each prepared pepper.
- Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Remove the foil and bake 5 additional minutes.
- Serve immediately with desired garnishes.
Expert Tips
- To prepare the peppers correctly, you want to cut off the tops just barely so they become a cup. Then carefully scoop out the seeds with a spoon or paring knife.
- Cook the meat mixture before stuffing it into the pepper. You want to brown the meat and add the spices as well as the rice before adding it into the center of the pepper. This ensures everything is cooked through.
- Make sure you cover the baking dish with foil. This is our special trick to steam the peppers while they’re in the oven so they are tender to the bite.
- Add your favorite spices and mix-ins to the meat mixture. You can also add diced jalapeños, scallions, and chopped tomatoes too. We’ve even added black beans. Have fun with it!
- Pepper Texture Adjustment: We like the pepper to be tender but hold its shape. If you prefer a super tender pepper result, you can brush the prepared peppers with 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and bake for 15 minutes (while you’re making the filling).
Storage
Store any leftover peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.
We don’t recommend freezing the stuffed peppers as it will change the texture of the pepper.
If you want to make these Taco Stuffed Peppers in advance, it’s the perfect recipe. Cook the meat and rice mixture then place it inside the peppers. Store in the fridge and then bake when you are ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, we recommend cooking the meat with the aromatics and spices fully before adding it into the peppers to bake.
Be be sure to cover the baking dish with foil so you can allow the peppers to steam while they are in the oven.
We also love to add garlic, scallions, beans, and other types of cheese!
More Easy Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers any color
- 1 pound ground beef, turkey or chicken
- 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup cooked rice white, brown or flavored
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend divided
- Topping options: sour cream, fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeno, guacamole
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the bell peppers and remove the membrane and seeds. Place them in a baking dish standing upright.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook and crumble the ground meat until cooked through. Drain any excess grease.
- Add onion, and cook an additional minute.
- Stir in salsa, 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, taco seasoning, and cooked rice. Mix well.
- Spoon the meat mixture evenly into each prepared pepper. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the peppers are tender. Remove the foil and bake 5 additional minutes.
- Serve immediately with desired garnishes.
Video
Notes
Store any leftover peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until warmed through. We don’t recommend freezing the stuffed peppers as it will change the texture of the pepper. If you want to make these Taco Stuffed Peppers in advance, it’s the perfect recipe. Cook the meat and rice mixture then place it inside the peppers. Store in the fridge and then bake when you are ready to serve. Expert Tips:
- To prepare the peppers correctly, you want to cut off the tops just barely so they become a cup. Then carefully scoop out the seeds with a spoon or paring knife.
- Cook the meat mixture before stuffing it into the pepper. You want to brown the meat and add the spices as well as the rice before adding it into the center of the pepper. This ensures everything is cooked through.
- Make sure you cover the baking dish with foil. This is our special trick to steam the peppers while they’re in the oven so they are tender to the bite.
- Add your favorite spices and mix-ins to the meat mixture. You can also add diced jalapeños, scallions, and chopped tomatoes too. We’ve even added black beans. Have fun with it!
Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
we LOVE this recipe
Awwww!! That makes my heart so happy to hear!! Thank you SO much!!!🥰 SO HAPPY you made it and loved it so much!!