by Texas Homesteader ~
These Taco Meat Stuffed Bell Peppers are a Homestead favorite. A simple and fast meal idea for busy days, but still fancy enough for company!
Stuffed Bell Peppers
I always plant bell peppers in my Homestead Garden. That’s good because I use bell pepper often to flavor so many dishes.
I have a regular Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe that I bake up sometimes. It’s stuffed with rice and seasoned ground beef with tomatoes. And it’s delicious, make no mistake.
But I love the extra sumpin’ that Taco-Meat Stuffed Peppers offer. And you know we love all things TexMex.
What Goes With Stuffed Peppers?
These taco-stuffed bell peppers are filled with taco meat, onions, garlic and Rotell tomatoes and topped with cheese.
It’s a delicious low-carb entrée that’s easy enough to whip up on a random hectic weeknight. But it’s special enough to serve to company.
If I want I can add sides of homemade Ranch-Style Beans and Cilantro Lime Rice.
And I oftentimes make the sides the day before to simplify mealtime. (especially since I discovered how easy it is to Batch Cook Rice in my Instant Pot, y’all! Cook smarter, not harder!)
Choose Bell Peppers
Any color bell pepper will work in this recipe. Green bell peppers are certainly cheaper on the grocery store shelves.
But I often plant different colored bell peppers in my garden. To me the colored peppers add a little flash on the plate when I’m serving. So when I have ’em that’s what I use.
If not I’ll buy the less expensive bell peppers in the store. But this taco-meat stuffed pepper recipe will fill four large peppers. Since you cut them in half that makes 8 whopping servings, y’all. You can really feed a crowd.
When the peppers are sliced longways I’ll cut away the seeds and membranes. I like to leave the stem for plate presentation, but you can cut the stem away also if you like.
Then I’ll place the peppers hollow-side up in a baking dish & place in the oven set to 350 degrees F. I’ll bake them for about 15 minutes while I’m cooking the meat. This will for the most part cook your peppers to tender-crisp – a soft yet still firm consistency – perfect!
When I bring the peppers out I’ll pour out any water that’s accumulated in them before filling.
Cooking Ground Meat For Stuffed Peppers
While the peppers are baking I’ll cook up the ground meat. You can use ground beef, but I often use ground wild pork in any recipe using ground meat. RancherMan’s an accomplished hunter and we almost always have ground pork in the freezer.
I’ll add about 1/2 cup chopped onion and the ground meat in my grandmother’s antique cast-iron skillet.
I just love this old cast-iron skillet, isn’t she a beauty? A gift to my grandmother when she and my grandfather married in 1934. She gifted it to me decades ago, and I’ll pass it on to my children.
Anyway, the meat & onions are cooked together until no pink remains in the meat.
Then I’ll drain any grease in the pan and add some water, my Homemade Taco Seasoning, an undrained can of Rotel tomatoes with peppers (mild flavored if serving guests who don’t like much heat), some tomato paste & minced garlic.
Optional Stir-In Options For Taco Stuffed Peppers
If I’m feeling adventurous I might add some stir-ins for an extra hearty TexMex feel. Maybe some drained corn or drained & rinsed black beans. Or sometimes I’ll stir in a bit of the cilantro-lime rice I’ve already made up.
For a more cheesy filling I might stir in some of that shredded Mexican-style cheese right into the meat mixture.
Adding any of these options will give you more filling to make even more peppers if you like. But more times than not I’ll just save the leftover filling in a Glass Jar In The Refrigerator.
That way RancherMan can roll it into a flour tortilla the next day for a quick heat-n-eat lunch.
Bake Peppers Stuffed With Taco Meat
By now my halved peppers have baked for about 15 minutes. I bring ’em out and drain any water that’s accumulated in them.
Then I stuff them with my taco meat mixture, top with a little cheese and put them back into the heated oven just long enough to melt the cheese. This takes only about 5 minutes or so.
The peppers are now ready to serve!
Optional Stuffed Pepper Toppings
If I’m after even more taco-feels with these stuffed bell peppers I’ll top them with traditional taco toppings such as shredded lettuce, chopped fresh tomatoes and a little more shredded cheese.
Or sometimes I top them with a dollop of Homemade Sour Cream, chopped jalapenos, homemade Pico de Gallo or maybe Creamy Hatch Chile Sauce.
So many flavor options in one recipe, y’all! Change it up to suit your mood.
But more times than not I serve these stuffed peppers just as they are straight out of the oven. They’re simple & delicious. Check out this easy recipe for taco-stuffed bell peppers.
Taco Stuffed Peppers
These Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers are a quick family favorite but fancy enough for company. Top with pico de gallo, salsa or sour cream for a little extra sumpin’! #TexasHomesteader
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers, sliced in half long ways & seeded
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small Onion, diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 oz. pkg Taco Seasoning (or 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning mix)
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato paste
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 10 oz can Rotel Tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (mild flavor if you don’t like spicy food)
- Salt to taste (I use ¼ teaspoon)
- ½ cup Shredded Mexican Cheese for topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Wash peppers & slice each one in half long ways. Remove the membranes & seeds. (I like to leave the stems for presentation, but you can remove them as well)
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Place peppers hollow side up in a 9x13 baking dish & bake for about 15 minutes while cooking the meat on the stove. Discard any water that accumulates in the hollows of the peppers.
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Meanwhile, to a 9" skillet add diced onions & ground beef. Over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef until no pink color remains. Drain any grease.
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To the ground meat mixture add 1/4 cup water, taco seasoning, tomato paste, Rotel tomatoes and minced garlic & bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to medium & simmer 5 minutes to thicken mixture.
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Scoop thickened taco filling into each of the peppers. Sprinkle each stuffed pepper with shredded cheese. Bake at 350°F just until cheese is melted – about 5 minutes.
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Serve hot. Appropriate sides would be Cilantro-Lime Rice & Ranch-Style Beans.
Recipe Notes
Some fun TexMex styled stir-in options are a small amount of leftover cilantro-lime rice, drained corn or drained & rinsed black beans. You can even mix a little shredded cheese into the meat mixture for a more cheesy stuffed pepper.
For an even more taco feel you can top with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, chopped tomato, sour cream, and/or salsa.
~TxH~
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Links In This Post:
- Italian-Seasoned Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Slow-Cooker Ranch-Style Beans
- Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- Batch Cooking Rice In An Instant Pot
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Food Refrigerator Storage In Glass Jars
- Homemade Sour Cream
- Garden Fresh Pico de Gallo
- Creamy Hatch Chile Sauce
Our Favorite Tex-Mex Recipes
- MYO Taco Seasoning
- Carnitas Tacos
- MYO Crispy Taco Shells
- Easy Corn Tortillas
- Mix-n-Pour Tortilla Recipe – No Kneading, No Rolling
- Pulled-Pork Enchiladas
- Cheesy Enchilada Casserole
- Lazy Cook’s Chile Relleno Cups
- SW Chicken w/Herbed Rice
- Cheesy Chile-Chicken Casserole
- Quick & Easy Taco Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Homemade Pork Tamales
- (w/Instant Pot Shortcut Option)
- Spicy Jalapeno Cornbread
- MYO Pinto Bean Seasoning Mix
- Creamy Hatch Chile Sauce
- Quick Southwest Quesadillas
See All Our Recipes
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I made these taco meat stuffed peppers and it made a bunch! I topped my peppers with homemade pico de gallo and diced jalapenos for a little extra spice. It was delicious!