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Taco Stuffed Peppers

4.87 from 15 votes
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posted: 08/22/16

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy
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This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

These Taco Stuffed Peppers are such an easy weeknight dinner that are packed with flavor! These come together fast and freeze great for perfect left overs and lunches.

close up of a taco stuffed pepper that has been cut in half and topped with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños

I’m so happy to be partnering with Horizon to bring you this awesome weeknight meal!

When you have kids who love tacos and love stuffed peppers, the obvious thing to do is make Taco Stuffed Peppers. This dinner is a huge win because of it’s delicious and simple flavors. It is perfect for picky kiddos.

In addition to being a hit with the kids, I love this recipe because it comes together simply with easy to find ingredients. Finally, this recipe freezes really well, so it makes perfect left over lunches for me.

Taco Stuffed Pepper Ingredients

  • Bell Peppers
  • Ground Turkey
  • Olive Oil
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Black Beans
  • Frozen Corn
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Microwaveable Rice
  • Salsa

These simple ingredients come together so quickly to make a great and easy dinner that your family will love

3 bell peppers cut in half from top to bottom, de-seeded and sitting on a metal baking sheet

Bell Peppers

The color of bell pepper that you buy is completely up to you. Green tend to be less expensive, but also not as sweet and delicious in this recipe. I typically mix it up with some red, yellow, and orange.

In this recipe, I use four bell peppers, cut in half from top to bottom and then stuffed totally full with the filling. Doing it this way, you are likely to have a little filling left over, depending on the size of your peppers.

An alternative is to buy an extra pepper (for example if you have five big eaters in your house), and just cut the tops off and fill them full.

Ground Turkey or Ground Beef

The type of meat you use in this recipe is again, a matter of personal preference. My family often enjoys ground turkey in recipes and I like that it has a slightly lower fat content.

If you decide to use ground beef, make sure to drain the fat from the pan before moving on.

overhead photo of a bowl of ingredients for taco stuffed peppers

Taco Seasoning

One of the things that brings great flavor to this recipe is the taco seasoning. I love using homemade taco seasoning because I can control the flavor of it so easily.

My recipe for taco seasoning contains instructions for making a big batch or a small amount. We always have a large container of it on hand because we use it so often in Slow Cooker Taco Soup and Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.

Rice

When making stuffed peppers, I often use microwaveable rice. It’s such an easy solution that makes stuffed peppers much faster. Other options would be Minute Rice or making the rice ahead of time.

You are looking for about 2 cups of rice, so whatever method you choose, you should end up with delicious stuffed peppers.

overhead photo of a bowl of ingredients for taco stuffed peppers next to a bag of horizon shredded cheese.

Using Frozen Corn

I love using frozen corn in recipes because it is actually already cooked. It typically can be thrown in at the last minute and the heat from the dish will warm it perfectly.

Freezing Instructions

As mentioned above, this is a great recipe for freezing.

  1. Before baking, place the peppers that you want to freeze on a baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper.
  2. Put the peppers in the freezer for an hour.
  3. Transfer peppers into sandwich bags so they can be frozen individually.

Store in the freezer for up to three months.

When ready to eat, either thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed or bake right from the freezer at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

taco stuffed peppers in sandwich bags to be frozen

Topping Taco Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are great on their own, but we are in love with condiments around here. Some suggestions are:

Other Great Stuffed Peppers

If your family can’t get enough of stuffed peppers, try out some of our other favorites:

If you make this recipe or any of my other stuffed pepper recipes, make sure to leave a me comment and let me know what you think!

close up of a taco stuffed bell pepper topped with sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapeño pieces and chopped tomatoes
4.87 from 15 votes

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 8
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
These Taco Stuffed Peppers are such an easy weeknight dinner that are packed with flavor! They are going to become a regular on your family’s menu! 

Ingredients

  • 4 bell peppers sliced in half length-wise and de-seeded (see note)
  • 1 pound ground turkey (see note about making with ground beef)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
  • 16 ounces salsa
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 2 cups Horizon Mexican shredded cheese divided
  • 8.5 ounces microwaveable brown rice cooked (I used Uncle Ben’s, which comes to about 2 cups)
  • Horizon Sour Cream
  • diced tomatoes cilantro, and pickled jalapeños for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the ground turkey and taco seasoning, breaking up the meat.  Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through.
  • Place the peppers on the baking sheet, and mix together the browned taco meat, black beans, salsa, frozen corn, 1 cup Horizon Mexican cheese, and the cooked rice in a large bowl.
  • Divide the mixture amongst the peppers. Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Add the remainder of the Horizon Mexican cheese to the top of the peppers and bake for 5 more minutes.
  • To serve top with Horizon Sour Cream and diced tomatoes, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños.

Notes

You can also just cut the tops off of the four peppers and make four BIG peppers rather than 8 half peppers.
If your family prefers ground beef, use that! Wait to add the taco seasoning until after you have cooked the meat and drained the fat.
Serving: 1half pepper Calories: 408kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 38.7g (13%) Protein: 24.3g (49%) Fat: 13.6g (21%) Saturated Fat: 6.3g (39%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 40.4mg (13%) Sodium: 1177.9mg (51%) Potassium: 395.6mg (11%) Fiber: 5.2g (22%) Sugar: 6.2g (7%) Vitamin A: 1910IU (38%) Vitamin C: 105.6mg (128%) Calcium: 27.5mg (3%) Iron: 2.3mg (13%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

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Taco Stuffed Peppers

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Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

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  1. Kelly says

    5 stars
    Yummy. I love stuffed peppers. The only change I did was i made a second batch with turkey (1st was beef) and used only about 1/4 rice and just a bit of corn and black beans. I wanted to keep the calories down.
    I also always par boil the peppers.

  2. Vanessa says

    5 stars
    This recipe is a keeper! Everyone loved it – so much so that it was a recipe for 4+, not 8! 🤣. I also used shredded chicken since that’s what I had on hand. Sooo good! My 16-yr old said to tell you “Good Job!”

    • Lisa Longley says

      I’m so glad everyone liked them!

  3. Sony Sherpa says

    5 stars
    I’m so excited to try this recipe for taco stuffed peppers! I’ll add lion’s mane mushroom powder from https://www.naturesrise.com/ for the protein and health boost. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Clara says

    Going to try these they look good

    • Lisa Longley says

      I hope you love them!

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