Bell peppers stuffed with ground taco meat, rice, and chili tomatoes, all topped with lots of cheddar cheese, yes please! This classic dish with a Mexican twist is very delicious, and it will be a huge hit for any family dinner or gathering.

When making Mexican stuffed bell peppers there are many different options on what you can use to fill your bell peppers with. For instance, you can use any ground meat you have on hand, such as ground beef or ground turkey. You can substitute the ground meat and use shredded chicken, or make it vegetarian and use canned beans. Since we always have a freezer full of deer meat on hand, I like to incorporate deer meat into any recipe that calls for ground meat. For this recipe I used half ground beef (73% lean) and half ground deer meat.

I like to serve Mexican stuffed bell peppers with a side of corn or refried beans. And of course, a glass or two of margaritas certainly pairs well too.

Let’s get to cookin’! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 4 bell peppers, any color
• ½ cup dry white rice
• 1 cup reserved bell pepper water
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 lb. ground meat
• 1 packet of taco seasoning mix
• 2/3 cup water
• 14.5 oz. can chili ready diced tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup water, if needed

Topping Suggestions:

• cilantro, chopped
• sour cream
• avocado, sliced
• jalapenos, sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 11×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Boiling the Bell Peppers

2. In a large pot, fill with water and boil over high heat.

3. Slice the bell peppers in half from top to bottom and remove the stems, seeds, and membranes.

4. Once the water has come to a boil, add salt, ½ tbsp. olive oil, and peppers to boiling water. Use a spoon to keep the peppers completely submerged.

5. Return to a boil and boil peppers until their flesh is slightly softened, for about 5-8 minutes.

6. When the bell peppers are done boiling, drain the peppers out of the water with a slotted spoon and arrange cut side up in prepared baking dish. Set aside to cool.

Preparing the Filling

7. Reserve 1 cup of bell pepper water from pot. Set aside.

8. Cook the rice according to package instructions, using the reserved bell pepper water. Set aside.

9. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.

10. Coat the bottom of the skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil.

11. Add onion and garlic to skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until soft.

12. Add ground meat and cook until ground meat is cooked all the way through and no longer pink.

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13. Add taco seasoning, water and diced tomatoes. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

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14. Add the cooked rice and stir.

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Stuffing, Topping, and Baking the Peppers

15. Mound the rice and meat filling inside of the peppers.

16. Top each stuffed pepper with shredded cheese.

17. Add ¼ cup of water to baking dish, if needed.

18. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted.

19. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!