If you’re a fan of all things taco related, then you’re going to love these Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers! They’re made with simple ingredients and perfect when you want to switch things up for dinner. You can easily customize this recipe by adding additional ingredients to the filling and the leftovers taste great making them perfect for meal prep. Plus they’re just a fun and easy way to eat tacos AND more vegetables. A win-win!😊
My inspiration for this recipe was definitely these Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats! They're unique, super delicious and another great way to enjoy the Mexican flavors mixed with a healthy vegetable!
Ingredients Needed
You'll only need a few ingredients to make this easy taco stuffed bell peppers recipe:
- Bell Peppers: I used different colors of bell peppers because I love how colorful they look, but feel free to use which ever colors you prefer.
- Ground Turkey: I like using ground turkey for this recipe, but ground beef or chicken would work as well. If you are using ground turkey, stick with 85% or 93% lean. Try not to get turkey breast meat as it is too lean and won't have enough fat.
- Taco Seasoning: A homemade taco seasoning or store-bought taco seasoning pack for that classic taco flavor!
- Salsa: Instead of adding a can of tomatoes, I added some of my favorite salsa to add more flavor to the taco meat.
- Black Beans: Adds extra fiber and protein and helps bulk up the taco meat filling.
- Cheese: I like to top these stuffed bell peppers with shredded Mexican or colby-jack cheese. But any cheddar cheese blend would be great!
- Extra Toppings: Finish these taco stuffed bell peppers with your favorite taco toppings like diced tomatoes, cilantro, sliced avocado, or extra salsa!
Wanna Add Rice?
I kept these stuffed bell peppers fairly simple, but if you want to bulk them up a little more, you can easily add rice or corn:
- Add 1 cup of cooked white rice + 2 cups of salsa (instead of just 1 cup).
- Add ½ cup frozen or canned sweet corn (drained and rinsed)
How To Make Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
The full instructions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s a quick overview:
Step One: Wash and dry the bell peppers thoroughly, cut them in half horizontally, remove the seeds and stems, then place all 6 halves in a casserole dish. Brush the insides of the bell peppers with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Pre-bake the bell peppers in a preheated oven, then remove them and set them aside.
Step Two: While the bell peppers are cooking make your taco mixture. Cook the ground turkey in a large skillet. Once the ground turkey is browned, stir in the taco seasoning, water, salsa and drained black beans. Stir everything together and simmer on medium-low heat for a few minutes. Add the cooked rice at this point (totally optional) plus more salsa to cover the rice.
Step Three: Stuff the pre-baked bell peppers with the taco mixture. Stuff as much filling as you can into each, filling them all the way to the top.
Step Four: Top each bell pepper with the shredded cheese. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the top of the casserole dish and bake the bell peppers in the oven for 15 additional minutes.
Step Five: After 15 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 3-5 minutes or just until the cheese is melted.
Step Six: Top things off with some freshly chopped cilantro or fresh diced tomatoes, optional, and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
These stuffed bell peppers hold up very well in the refrigerator. Just place any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. They can be reheated in the microwave or the oven and they still taste great the next day, making them perfect for meal prep! My favorite meal prep containers are glass containers. They are durable, don’t stain and are easy to clean.
More Easy Dinner Recipes!
- Chicken Sausage Stir-Fry w/Vegetables
- Sheet Pan Sausage, Potatoes And Brussels Sprouts
- Black Bean Quesadillas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning*
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese**
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Wash and dry each bell pepper, then cut the bell peppers in half horizontally as evenly as possible. Remove all of the seeds then using a sharp knife carefully cut and remove the stem from the top half of each bell pepper. You should end up with 6 bell pepper halves.
- Place the bell peppers in a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Brush them with ½ tablespoon oil and season them with salt and black pepper. Bake the bell peppers for 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes remove the bell peppers from the oven and set aside.
- While the bell peppers are baking, make the filling. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the ground turkey until brown.
- Next add the taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Stir together with the ground turkey. Then add the salsa and drained black beans. Stir to combine. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Begin to fill each bell pepper with the meat filling. Stuff as much filling as you can into each, filling them all the way to the top.
- Top each bell pepper evenly with shredded cheese. Loosely place some tented aluminum foil over the top of the casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes remove the foil and continue to bake for 5 more minutes or turn the heat to broil for 2-3 minutes to allow the cheese to get a little brown on top. Top with chopped cilantro, optional, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use homemade taco seasoning or 1 package of store-bought taco seasoning.
- Add 1 cup of cooked rice plus extra salsa to make these stuffed peppers more filling.
- Use any Mexican cheese blend, cheddar-jack, or colby-jack cheese.
Jazz says
I made these for dinner last night and had to let you know how much I’m looking forward to leftovers for lunch!
Krysten says
Perfect for a quick and easy dinner idea! I love stuffed peppers, but have never tried taco inspired bell peppers. Super excited to try this now that school started back this week.
Chenée says
I love this recipe! It's a fun variation on taco night that everybody was so excited about. Thanks so much for the recipe!