With ground beef, melty cheese, rice, and jarred salsa cooked in one pot, this Mexican stuffed peppers recipe is like a healthy taco in a bell pepper shell.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword stuffed peppers
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 6
Calories 399kcal
Ingredients
6bell peppers, stems and tops removed, then seeded and
1pound90% lean ground beef
1medium onion, chopped, about 1 ½ cups
24ouncejar restaurant style salsa
1teaspoonchile powder
1teaspooncumin
1cuplong grain white rice
2cupswater
½teaspoonkosher salt
1 cupshredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar
2tablespoonschopped cilantro
¼cup sour cream , optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown the ground beef in a large fry pan over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until cooked almost through. Add the onion cook until softened, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the jarred salsa, chile powder, and cumin. Add the white rice and water, season with kosher salt and bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, adding more water if necessary. When the rice is tender, fold in ¾ of the chopped cilantro, reserving some for garnish.
While the meat and rice are cooking, cut off the tops of the peppers, 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 soften but still hold their shape.
Transfer the peppers to a 3 quart baking dish. Fill the peppers with the hot meat and rice mixture.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with cheese and heat for an additional minute or two until the cheese has melted. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and sour cream if you’d like, and serve.
Notes
Choose a variety of colors of bell pepper, or just one if you prefer.Use any type of salsa, and heat index, you like best.