These easy to make taco stuffed peppers are a dinner the whole family will love! Stuffed with ground turkey, black beans, corn, green chiles, Mexican spices and your choice of salsa or enchilada sauce. Top them with cheese for a healthy weeknight dinner!
Looking for another taco inspired recipe? Try this ground beef taco casserole!
Why you’ll love them
Healthy dinner – In general, stuffed peppers are great if you’re looking for a healthy dinner option. They have protein, vegetables, carbs, fat, and you can easily modify how much of each of those goes in based on your needs.
Customizable – I used ground turkey for the protein, but you can swap it for ground beef or chicken if you prefer those. The
Easy clean up – The filling is all made in one pan and the peppers can be baked on a foil lined baking sheet for easy cleanup.
Freezer friendly meal – These stuffed peppers freeze and are great to have on hand when you don’t have time to cook. They’re also great for meal prep.
Ingredients for taco stuffed peppers
- bell peppers – Any color bell pepper can be used.
- lean ground turkey – I like to use 93/7 lean ground turkey. A little fat adds so much flavor and keeps the filling from being too dry.
- yellow onion
- chili powder, ground cumin and garlic powder
- cilantro – Don’t like cilantro, omit it.
- green chiles
- black beans
- frozen corn – for extra flavor and smokiness used frozen fire roasted corn.
- red enchilada sauce or salsa – Depending on what you have or like best, either red enchilada sauce or salsa can be used.
- Colby Jack cheese – I love the way Colby Jack cheese melts. You could also use cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Pepper Jack.
How to make taco stuffed peppers
Roast the peppers – Roast the pepper halves in the oven. This will give them a head start on the cooking time so that they don’t need to bake nearly as long once you add the filling. I find everything cooks more evenly this way. When you take the peppers out of the oven there will likely be liquid inside them, pour it out
Make the filling – Sauté the onion and crumble the ground turkey and spices together until the turkey is cooked through. Add in the beans, corn, green chiles and either salsa or enchilada sauce. Stir everything together and the filling is ready.
Stuff the peppers – Divide the filling evenly into the pepper halves. Bake them for 10 minutes then pull them out and top with shredded cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and then serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Freeze Stuffed Peppers
Make and bake the stuffed peppers as directed in the recipe. Let them cool completely and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and put them in an airtight container or freezer bag. You can also put them in an a casserole dish and freeze them all together. The peppers will keep for several months in the freezer as long as they are wrapped properly.
Substitutions for Ground Turkey
Ground beef, bison or ground chicken will all work for these taco stuffed peppers. For a vegetarian option try vegetarian meat crumbles, rice, extra black or pinto beans or crumbled tofu. If you use tofu be sure to buy extra firm and press it beforehand to squeeze out the liquid.
Do Peppers Need to Be Cooked Before They’re Stuffed?
Par-cooking the peppers before adding the filling ensure that they’re cooked evenly. If you like the peppers to be more crisp then you can skip this step. You will still likely need to increase the baking time to 40-45 minutes.
Topping Ideas
Just like tacos, you can top these stuffed peppers with all of your favorite toppings. Here are some ideas.
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- Shredded lettuce
- Black olives
- Avocado slices
- Salsa
- Pickled jalapeños or onions
More Stuffed Pepper Recipes
- Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers
- Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Classic Stuffed Peppers
- Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
- Creamy Chicken Spinach and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Did you make these Taco Stuffed Peppers? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 8 ounces salsa or red enchilada sauce
- 3/4 cup shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. and line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the core and seeds. Place the halved peppers on the baking sheet cut side up and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the peppers are baking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground turkey, onion, spices, salt and pepper. Crumble the turkey with a wooden spoon as it cooks. When the turkey is cooked through, stir in the black beans, corn, green chiles, cilantro, and salsa or enchilada sauce. Taste for seasoning and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Remove the peppers from the oven. Pour out any liquid that's gathered inside of them and then evenly divide the filling into each half. Bake for another 10 minutes and then top them with the shredded cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes and then serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 420Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 657mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 49g
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