Taco Stuffed Peppers

Red bell peppers stuffed with taco meat and topped with melted cheese.

Give your next taco night a tasty new twist with these taco stuffed peppers. These bell peppers are packed with a delicious filling of seasoned ground turkey, black beans, and tomatoes with green chilies. All topped with melty cheese, of course.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings pepper halves

Calories 207kcal

Author Colleen Milne

Ingredients

3 large bell peppers any color
1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 15 ounce can black beans drained
1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies drained
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish or a rimmed baking sheet.
Wash and dry the peppers and slice them in half from stem to end (lengthwise).
Remove the seeds and membrane from each pepper half. Use a paring knife to cut out the stem.
Place the halved peppers in the baking dish, cut side up.
Bake for ten minutes, or until the peppers are slightly tender.
Pour off the liquid from in the hollow of each pepper.
While the peppers are baking, heat a large skillet with a small amount of oil over medium high heat.
Brown the ground turkey, breaking up with a spoon. (Five to ten minutes).
Stir in the taco seasoning, black beans and tomatoes.
Divide the meat mixture evenly into the pepper cavities.
Top each filled pepper half with grated cheese.
Return to the already pre-heated oven and bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

- Slicing peppers. Although you can simply cut the tops off of the peppers, I like to slice them vertically for stuffing. They will lay in the pan without toppling over, and they will also cook faster. Plus, you'll get more surface area for cheese when sliced from stem to tip. Win, win!

- Pre-bake peppers. Be sure to pre-bake the peppers as specified in the recipe. Peppers contain a lot of water, so this step helps to eliminate excess water so that the filling won't be soggy and watery. After pre-baking, the pepper halves will contain water that can be discarded.

- Seasoning. My homemade taco seasoning contains chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and other spices. If you use a packaged blend, check the label. It will usually also contain those. Some commercial taco seasoning blends also contain flour and you may need to add water. Either way, taste the taco filling and add more salt, pepper, or other seasonings to taste.

- Spice level. This recipe is mildly spiced. If you want to amp up the spice level, you can add red pepper flakes, chopped jalapeno peppers, or hot sauce to the filling. Or you can use the hot version of Rotel tomatoes.

- Storage. These stuffed peppers will keep, stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for 3-4 days, making this recipe ideal for meal prep. Reheat them in the oven or microwave.

- Air Fryer. Yes, you can make stuffed peppers in an air fryer. Just pre-heat your air fryer to 350 degrees. Add the pepper halves while you cook the taco filling, allowing them to cook for 5 minutes. Fill and top the peppers and return them to the air fryer to cook at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

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