When I was a kid, Mom made stuffed peppers for an easy and tasty meal. I’ve not made them for many years because hubby’s not a fan of bell peppers. But with memories of Mom and childhood at the forefront of my brain, I needed to make them anyway, right now.
There are like a thousand+ variations on the stuffed bell peppers recipe. This traditional stuffed red peppers recipe is the original using only the basic ingredients.
I had all the ingredients except tomato sauce. Needing a substitute, I opted to use a small can of tomato paste and dilute it with water. This small change adds a depth of flavor that tomato sauce doesn’t.
And in the end, hubby loved it.
Stuffed Bell Peppers – Mexican Style!
Give your stuffed bell peppers a Mexican flair!
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers
- 2 cups cooked long grain rice
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Ground Beef Mixture
- 1 pound 75-80% ground beef
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper add more if you want more heat
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Tbsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Cut the tops of the peppers off and set aside; core and seed the insides. In a pan deep enough to submerge the peppers, bring enough water to boil to submerge the peppers. Once the water boils, add the peppers, submerging them so they don't float. Cook until almost tender; depending on the thickness of the pepper, this will take 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the pan, draining the water from inside them, and set aside.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice according to instructions. Generally, the rice-to-water ratio is 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Adding salt and a fat (butter or olive oil) is optional, but for this recipe it's not recommended. Set aside.
- At the same time, prepare the ground beef using the Ground Beef Taco Recipe.
- Add the cooked rice to the beef mixture and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray oil or other fat to prevent the rice from sticking. Add some rice to the bottom of the dish to help prop the peppers in place.
- Place the peppers in the dish upright and spoon and lightly pack the rice and beef mixture into the peppers. Use the remaining rice mixture to create a nest around the peppers and top the peppers with a generous helping of shredded Mexican blend cheese.
- Bake uncovered on a middle rack for 3 minutes at 350°. Cool for about 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Loved it! Tastes just like what I grew up with, brings back memories!