Classic Southwestern flavors, corn, rice, and lean ground beef make these rainbows of bell peppers a favorite, healthy dinner your whole family will enjoy.
This post and it’s rainbow of healthy flavors is sponsored by AMCO Select One Produce.
Last week I saw a lot of change and said goodbye to few favorites.
October is done. Bye bye! Daylight savings? You’ve ticked your last tock. And probably the worst of the worst signs that summer has officially had the nail driven into its sunshine-filled coffin: My husband cleared out all of the plants from the garden to make way for old man winter.
Goodbye garden tomatoes. So long to my spindly pepper plants. You were a food bounty all summer long and you’ll be missed.
Or will you?
These days, none of us have to feel fresh-from-the-garden-challenged now that we’re moving into the colder months because garden fresh veggies are readily available in grocery aisles 365 days a year. Well, there may be a day off for Christmas and an early closing hour for Thanksgiving, but I think you get my gist.
AMCO Select One Produce asked me to come up with a recipe that showcases their greenhouse-grown produce and I went straight for their rainbow of peppers.
Farmed in technologically advanced greenhouses, AMCO Select’s peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers benefit from fancy computerized drip systems and state of the art cooling facilities. And yet, these veggies are still humbly pollinated by bumblebees. The process makes it so none of us have to go without fresh garden-tasting flavors through the chillier days and nights of fall turning into winter.
Their fresh rainbow bells are the perfect vessels to share these Southwestern inspired flavors.
About the Recipe
Did you know every orange, yellow and red bell pepper has 3 times the amount of vitamin C as an orange? It’s just one of the reasons these baked stuffed peppers are a favorite of mine. The other reason I favor rainbow peppers are their sweet flavor. And who can’t be attracted to how pretty they look?
For our stuffed peppers we always par-bake them in the microwave first. A simple sprinkle of kosher salt to the interior of the peppers and then a 5 minute blast in the microwave pre-cooks these peppers and cuts your baking time in half.
Fresh tomato plus tomato paste gives the stuffing an added sweetness while black beans, yellow corn and roasted green chiles complete the rainbow of Southwestern flavors. Cumin, chile and fresh cilantro bump it up even more.
I used white rice in this version but feel free to add another grain of choice. Brown rice, farro or even quinoa would boost your protein quotient even more.
There’s not too much cheese on these babies so choose a quality one that will give the most flavor. I liked to keep the spicy flavors building so I topped mine with a chipotle flavored gouda. Pepper jack or another spicy version would fit the bill too.
Another idea for serving these peppers is to pop them into individual baking dishes like these mini cocottes. It makes a fun dinner party presentation that’s a little more unique than the typical plate.
They fit snug as a rug!
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Like These:
- Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Spiralized Zucchini, Quinoa and Turkey Sausage Stuffed Peppers
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef , 90% lean
- 1 medium onion , diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 ribs celery , diced (about ¾ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 large Select One tomato , chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 15- ounce can black beans
- 1 7- ounce can roasted green chiles
- 1 cup frozen corn , defrosted
- 1 ½ cups cooked long grain rice
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves , chopped plus more for garnish
- 6 Select One rainbow bell peppers
- 1 cup spicy cheese such as Chipotle Gouda or Pepper Jack
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Brown the ground beef in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until cooked almost through. Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomato, tomato paste, cumin, chile powder and kosher salt and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Stir in the black beans, green chiles, corn, cooked rice and chopped cilantro.
- Meanwhile, cut off the tops of the peppers and spoon out the ribs and seeds, then rinse. Lightly sprinkle the inside of the peppers with kosher salt and place in a microwave safe dish with ¼ cup water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Transfer to a 3 quart baking dish and fill the peppers with the hot meat and rice mixture. Sprinkle the tops with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until peppers are tender and cheese is browned. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Food for Thought
I’d love to feature your favorite flavors to stuff your peppers. Please, share your ideas!
This post is sponsored by AMCO Select One Produce. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.
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Looks good, I’m trying tonight. They look a little dry though….I’m thinking of topping with some sort of sauce….maybe enchilada?
That sounds like a great idea. And more cheese.
Seriously! Best stuffed peppers ever!!
Absolutely amazing! Substituted the ground beef with shredded chicken and cooked the onions and celery in about a table spoon of oil. I also used canned diced tomato.
So glad you enjoyed it Jasmine. Stuffed peppers are a great meal to substitute some ingredients for others you like better or have on hand. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Hi Heidi! This may be a silly question, but does it matter if I use canned corn or fresh corn? Thanks!
Which ever you have and prefer!
Making these tonight. Inside a few tweaks. I added a can of green chili sauce, some ketchup instead of tomato paste, a little extra garlic, and can diced tomatoes. I’m eating it out of the pit before I can get it in the peppers! Yummy! Oh and I also added a little garlic cilantro salsa! Bless! Can’t wait to get them in the oven. Will definitely be making these again!
I appreciate your writing skill. Please keep on working hard
I made these lovely peppers and they are delicious. Southwestern food is not
one of my favorites, but, I love these, because of the black beans, rice and corn, and the flavors are amazing.
It was great! I had a lot of leftover filling so we had it on the side. I would only make 1/2 cup of rice next time. It was a bit too much. Tasted terrific!
What do I do if I don’t have a microwave??
You can boil it for 10 minutes
Second time making these. Just wish you include nutritional information with your recipes.
Thanx
I modified this for chicken. I put everything in the crock pot except the beans, corn and cilantro, and used a can of diced tomatoes instead of one fresh. Cooked it on low for about 5 hours, then left the lid off for an hour or so to let some of the liquid reduce. I pulled out the whole chicken breast, shredded them, then added them back to the pot. Added the beans, corn and cilantro then stuffed the peppers and baked. So delicious and very little work!
Quick question – did you rinse or drain the can of black beans?
I made this recipe and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing a new twist to a favorite recipe!
Forgot to mention that I LOVE the microwave tip for preparing the bell peppers! What a great time saver!
Just made these and they were soooo good!! Boyfriend-approved and will be making again. Topped with Greek plain yogurt and avocado! Thanks for the recipe!!
Super leuke recepten maar helaas kan het ook in het nederlands zou ze o zo graag maken.
Thank you this recipe! Just made them tonight and they were delicious!
I just made a few tweaks to it.. I used ground turkey instead of beef to make it weight watchers friendly, added some cayenne pepper, used Trader Joe’s fire roasted corn and I accidentally bought parsley instead of cilantro so I just threw it in. I served it with tomatillo salsa and homemade tortilla chips!
What a great dinner! Looking forward to more of your recipes!
That’s awesome Tricia! I’m so glad you made it your own. And parsley always works too.
I’ve always made these, but love the microwave trick! And who knew about all of that vitamin C, good stuff :) I would even try adding diced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, maybe even a little dry ranch mix for a little different flavor. Sometimes I chop some banana peppers and and the juice from the jar to add extra flavor and moisture to the meat.
Making these for dinner ASAP! My family will love them!
I could always go for one of these beauts! SO tasty looking
I saw you making these babes on snapchat. They looked effortless, nutritious and TASTY. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Oh how these peppers look amazing!! I love any and all veggies and especially fun new ways to cook with them! These sound perfect! :)
Peppers – such a simple veggie but I am always in awe of how gorgeous the colors can be. These stuffed peppers would a hit in our house! I need to make them!
I really want to make these.
My husband always likes some type of sauce with his stuffed peppers. Any ideas for a good sauce to go with these peppers? I was thinking of a salsa. Thanks
Hi Tricia, a green chile or red salsa would be terrific on these. I didn’t think they needed anything else on them than how they came, but I like the way you think!
Love peppers any way but especially stuffed with quinoa and sautéed mushrooms, topped off with warm goat cheese.
I’ve been thinking about making a quinoa version of stuffed peppers…thanks for the ingredient idea Tamar!
I love stuffed bell peppers and I am in with all the Southwest flavors!
There is so much to love about these!! Fresh produce year round? Yes, please! And dinner just doesn’t get prettier than this, does it?
we love stuffed peppers! these look so colorful and bright. yum!
The rainbow peppers really add to the look of the dish, plus I prefer their sweeter flavor in place of green bell peppers.
The southwest flavored stuffing tasted so good! Only change I’d make is the addition of cheese to the stuffing itself. Would make excellent burritos also.
YES! Great idea!
I must admit that I’m not a huge fan of Southwestern food, but these stuffed peppers sound (and look) amazing – so I’ll give ’em a try. Try as I might, I just can’t develop a taste for cilantro, so I’ll substitute flat leaf Italian parsley, instead. I like all of the other ingredients, so I’m sure we’ll enjoy these wonderful stuffed peppers.
Cilantro is one of those herbs that people LOVE or DESPISE. I’m a lover, so I’m glad you’ve discovered a substitution. Tarragon might also be an interesting choice, or skip the herbs altogether and throw in some chipotle peppers or smoked paprika for added flavorings.
These look amazing, Heidi! We sure love stuffed pepper here, too!
I am ALL about eating the rainbow…and even more so when it involves Southwestern flavors! Stuffed peppers are ALWAYS SO GOOD and I know that I need to try these babies! Pinned!
Those mini coquettes are freaking adorable! When making stuffed peppers, I always find I eat more than anticipated, probably from the lack of protein. Loving the addition of beans in these babies!! I still may eat more than anticipated, but this time for purely gluttonous reasons :)
Aren’t they the cutest little pots? I’m finding all sorts of uses for them. It’s funny, I love the filling but I always end up trading it with my husband for more bites of peppers!
Oh wow, just gorgeous! Yes…yes to all of this. Taste the rainbow! Pinned.
LOVE these peppers. We’ve been making them all summer, so many great options what to add to them! Beautiful!
Totally Sandy! They’re such versatile little vessels and I love that they can be an all in one dish :)
These peppers look fabulous! I love southwestern flavors and all these colors are gorgeous!