These Taco Stuffed Peppers are such an easy weeknight dinner that are packed with flavor! These come together fast and freeze great for perfect left overs and lunches.
I’m so happy to be partnering with Horizon to bring you this awesome weeknight meal!
When you have kids who love tacos and love stuffed peppers, the obvious thing to do is make Taco Stuffed Peppers. This dinner is a huge win because of it’s delicious and simple flavors. It is perfect for picky kiddos.
In addition to being a hit with the kids, I love this recipe because it comes together simply with easy to find ingredients. Finally, this recipe freezes really well, so it makes perfect left over lunches for me.
Taco Stuffed Pepper Ingredients
- Bell Peppers
- Ground Turkey
- Olive Oil
- Taco Seasoning
- Black Beans
- Frozen Corn
- Shredded Cheese
- Microwaveable Rice
- Salsa
These simple ingredients come together so quickly to make a great and easy dinner that your family will love
Bell Peppers
The color of bell pepper that you buy is completely up to you. Green tend to be less expensive, but also not as sweet and delicious in this recipe. I typically mix it up with some red, yellow, and orange.
In this recipe, I use four bell peppers, cut in half from top to bottom and then stuffed totally full with the filling. Doing it this way, you are likely to have a little filling left over, depending on the size of your peppers.
An alternative is to buy an extra pepper (for example if you have five big eaters in your house), and just cut the tops off and fill them full.
Ground Turkey or Ground Beef
The type of meat you use in this recipe is again, a matter of personal preference. My family often enjoys ground turkey in recipes and I like that it has a slightly lower fat content.
If you decide to use ground beef, make sure to drain the fat from the pan before moving on.
Taco Seasoning
One of the things that brings great flavor to this recipe is the taco seasoning. I love using homemade taco seasoning because I can control the flavor of it so easily.
My recipe for taco seasoning contains instructions for making a big batch or a small amount. We always have a large container of it on hand because we use it so often in Slow Cooker Taco Soup and Instant Pot Chicken Tacos.
Rice
When making stuffed peppers, I often use microwaveable rice. It’s such an easy solution that makes stuffed peppers much faster. Other options would be Minute Rice or making the rice ahead of time.
You are looking for about 2 cups of rice, so whatever method you choose, you should end up with delicious stuffed peppers.
Using Frozen Corn
I love using frozen corn in recipes because it is actually already cooked. It typically can be thrown in at the last minute and the heat from the dish will warm it perfectly.
Freezing Instructions
As mentioned above, this is a great recipe for freezing.
- Before baking, place the peppers that you want to freeze on a baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper.
- Put the peppers in the freezer for an hour.
- Transfer peppers into sandwich bags so they can be frozen individually.
Store in the freezer for up to three months.
When ready to eat, either thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bake as directed or bake right from the freezer at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Topping Taco Stuffed Peppers
These stuffed peppers are great on their own, but we are in love with condiments around here. Some suggestions are:
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Pickled Jalapeños
- Olives
- Chopped Tomatoes
Other Great Stuffed Peppers
If your family can’t get enough of stuffed peppers, try out some of our other favorites:
- Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- White Chicken Chili Stuffed Peppers
- Fajita Stuffed Peppers
- Italian Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole
If you make this recipe or any of my other stuffed pepper recipes, make sure to leave a me comment and let me know what you think!
Taco Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 bell peppers sliced in half length-wise and de-seeded (see note)
- 1 pound ground turkey (see note about making with ground beef)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 16 ounces salsa
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups Horizon Mexican shredded cheese divided
- 8.5 ounces microwaveable brown rice cooked (I used Uncle Ben’s, which comes to about 2 cups)
- Horizon Sour Cream
- diced tomatoes cilantro, and pickled jalapeños for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the ground turkey and taco seasoning, breaking up the meat. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- Place the peppers on the baking sheet, and mix together the browned taco meat, black beans, salsa, frozen corn, 1 cup Horizon Mexican cheese, and the cooked rice in a large bowl.
- Divide the mixture amongst the peppers. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Add the remainder of the Horizon Mexican cheese to the top of the peppers and bake for 5 more minutes.
- To serve top with Horizon Sour Cream and diced tomatoes, cilantro, and pickled jalapeños.
Notes
Sara says
Do you have a carb count for this recipe?
I’m sorry, Sara, I don’t!
Lauren says
Made these tonight and they were a huge hit!
I’m so glad to hear that Lauren!
Erynn says
Ugh, I’m sure I’m dense, but if I’m just using regular rice, is it 8.5 ounces before I cook it or after? So like a cup of rice or two cups? That’s kind of a big difference.
That for sure doesn’t make you dense. I had to look it up, but it is about 2 cups of rice. Thanks for brining this to my attention, you are for sure not the only person with this question, so I will update the recipe.
Edna hobbs says
Made this and it was delish!
So great to hear, thank you Edna!
Lisa says
I don’t like stuffed peppers so this was a nice alternative way to make use of the peppers I had on hand. I love Mexican foods. Very tasty. I would make these again.
I’m so glad you liked it Lisa!
Kim says
I made these vegan and subbed the rice for cauliflower rice and it came out so good!
Casey says
Could you use canned corn instead of frozen corn?
You could!
Mary J says
Now that the peppers are coming on full-force in the garden, I wanted to try a new recipe for stuffed peppers. I found this one for Taco Stuffed Peppers and gave it a try. Oh, YUM! This has such a wonderful blend of flavors. I froze several stuffed peppers away, so we can enjoy a home cooked garden meal year round! Will definitely make these again!
Mrsmee says
Can you use already frozen peppers? I already have some halves frozen peppers in the freezer.
I haven’t tried that! If you give it a try, let me know how it goes.
Ann says
Made these a few times since last winter. Always comes out great. Lots of flavor and very healthy and filling. The peppers are sooo good after roasting in the oven. Makes a lot for all my kids! Great recipe! Thank you!
I’m so happy you like them Ann! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!