Tap here to get 5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

Taco Stuffed Peppers

4.87 from 15 votes
|

posted: 08/22/16

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy
|
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

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.

close up of a taco stuffed pepper that has been cut in half and topped with cheese, tomatoes, and jalapeños

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

3 bell peppers cut in half from top to bottom, de-seeded and sitting on a metal baking sheet

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.

overhead photo of a bowl of ingredients for taco stuffed peppers

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.

overhead photo of a bowl of ingredients for taco stuffed peppers next to a bag of horizon shredded cheese.

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.

  1. Before baking, place the peppers that you want to freeze on a baking sheet or plate lined with wax paper.
  2. Put the peppers in the freezer for an hour.
  3. 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.

taco stuffed peppers in sandwich bags to be frozen

Topping Taco Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are great on their own, but we are in love with condiments around here. Some suggestions are:

Other Great Stuffed Peppers

If your family can’t get enough of stuffed peppers, try out some of our other favorites:

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!

close up of a taco stuffed bell pepper topped with sour cream, cilantro, pickled jalapeño pieces and chopped tomatoes
4.87 from 15 votes

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Serves: 8
(tap # to scale)
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
These Taco Stuffed Peppers are such an easy weeknight dinner that are packed with flavor! They are going to become a regular on your family’s menu! 

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

You can also just cut the tops off of the four peppers and make four BIG peppers rather than 8 half peppers.
If your family prefers ground beef, use that! Wait to add the taco seasoning until after you have cooked the meat and drained the fat.
Serving: 1half pepper Calories: 408kcal (20%) Carbohydrates: 38.7g (13%) Protein: 24.3g (49%) Fat: 13.6g (21%) Saturated Fat: 6.3g (39%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 40.4mg (13%) Sodium: 1177.9mg (51%) Potassium: 395.6mg (11%) Fiber: 5.2g (22%) Sugar: 6.2g (7%) Vitamin A: 1910IU (38%) Vitamin C: 105.6mg (128%) Calcium: 27.5mg (3%) Iron: 2.3mg (13%)
Author: Lisa Longley
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

did you make this

Taco Stuffed Peppers

I’d love to see what you made! Tag me @lisasimplejoy and hashtag it #simplejoyrecipes!

Hi! I'm Lisa Longley, and I am committed to giving you simple dinner ideas and recipes that are easy to make; recipes that will fill your home with joy. I am the owner and author of SimpleJoy.com and I'm so glad that you are here.

Reader Interactions

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    Have a question? Use the form below to submit your question or comment. I love hearing from you & seeing what you made!

    Rate This Recipe:




  1. Courtney says

    5 stars
    What would be a good side to pair with this!! Trying this this weekend! Looks tasty

    • Lisa Longley says

      Hi Courtney! This is one of those recipes that I don’t really feel needs a side dish. (Those are my favorite!) But if you really want something, a salad would be great. I love this cucumber tomato salad and this apple bacon salad.

  2. Danielle says

    I’ve been making these 2x/month for the past year and they are a huge hit! My fiancé and I are OBSESSED. So easy and soooooo yummy. The leftovers are great too!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Danielle, you literally made my day. Nothing makes me happier than hearing one of my recipes has become a household regular.

  3. Meg says

    How would you recommend to freeze these? Cook, cool, and freeze or freeze prior to cooking?

    • Meg says

      Never mind! Just saw your freezing instructions!

      • Lisa Longley says

        So grateful for readers who go back and read. Thank you, Meg!

  4. Stephe says

    5 stars
    It could be that my peppers were too small the first tome, but I had problems filling them when I cut them in half. I had so much “stuffing” left! (I used it for burrito bowls so it didn’t got to waste!) But I found it’s much easier just cutting the top off and stuffing them whole. Incase anyone else had this problem!

    • Lisa Longley says

      You are not wrong Stephe! They are easier to stuff as one pepper, but prettier when cut in half. So glad you liked this recipe!

  5. Joyce says

    Have you tried making these with ground beef ? Hubby doesn’t like turkey but loves stuffed peppers. These sound like a nice change from regular stuffed peppers.

    • Lisa Longley says

      These would be great with ground beef! I actually just updated the recipe to reflect making them with beef instead.

  6. Glenda SKINNER says

    I made these last month for just the two of us. After stuffing two peppers I had bunches of meat mixture left over. I took my muffin pan and filled each cup with the mixture. I put it in the freezer for that hour and then transferred to freezer bag. I’ve used them for stuffed baked potatoes and now have some stuffed peppers in the oven as we “speak”. Great recipe

  7. Joy says

    Can you cook them in the crock pot? If so how long?

    • Lisa Longley says

      I haven’t made this recipe in a crock pot, but if I was going to, I would put a tiny bit of water or chicken broth at the bottom and cook it on low for 3 to 4 hours.

  8. Kasey says

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! I make it often! One suggestion: can you please add salsa to the ingredients list at the top of the page? It calls for it on the recipe card but not in the text. I always leave it off of my grocery list for this reason. You think I’d learn lol. Thank you!

    • Lisa Longley says

      Oh my goodness, Kasey! I’m so sorry! It is fixed now. This is absolutely something I would do over and over, lol.

  9. Suzanne Hennessy says

    5 stars
    YUM! YUM! YUM! I love tacos and really like the idea of not using tortillas. The brown rice is an additional plus.

  10. Shirley says

    4 stars
    Very good recipe! Unless your peppers are very large though, this makes a huge amount of filling!

SUPER-SIMPLEFAMILY FAVORITES
Broccoli Pasta"Omg! I didn’t think anything so simple could be so good!"
overhead of skillet of Cajun Shrimp Pasta ingredients on a cooling rack with toasted bread sitting beside
Cajun Shrimp Pasta"My family absolutely loved this recipe. Even my finicky eaters."
overhead photo of a gray skillet filled with beef and broccoli recipe, garnished with sliced green onions
Beef and Broccoli Recipe"I have made this a couple or more times. It’s easy & quick to prepare. I like this for a quick meal. It will be my go to recipe."

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!

5 Secrets to Stress Free Dinners

SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE

MY TOP 10 EASY DINNER EBOOK!